Heart of Darkness
by yra
Summary: The Sailor Senshi of the Galaxy prepare themselves for war...Senshi/Shitennou pairings
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon or any of it's characters.

A/N: Alright, the prologue to the sequel to Out of the Abyss. It will be competing with Silk and Steel for my attention, but I'll try to be fair. Thanks for everyone who read Abyss, which, by the way, you will want to read before attempting this one, and everyone who read A Woman's Beauty. That chapter will be appearing soon in all it's full glory. Thanks everybody! Now on to the story._  
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_She saw eternity._

_Planets…_

_Stars…_

_Galaxies…_

_Everything._

_She floated in the sea of space, turning her eyes slowly this way and that. If she focused her sight, she could see every mountain, every valley and crater in a planet's surface. Yet if she let herself relax, let her mind drift, she could see all of it._

_More than that, if she reached out with one hand, she was certain she would be able to _touch_ anything, or everything._

_Yet she reached for nothing. She let herself rest in the arms of the universe, let her soul lie unmoving, without want, without need, in simple silence. She let her eyes lose their focus, and instead listened._

_The stars were singing to her. Some were joyous, some sad, some tired, some curious. Apart, they were a complex medley of emotions and memories._

_Together, they were complete._

_"Let me stay like this…forever…"_

_Yet something came to her. A star's song that stood out from all the rest. A song that sounded familiar, and sparked a tenderness in her heart._

_"I know that song. I know…"_

_She turned her attention towards the song. There, glowing a deep carnelian color, a star sang in increasingly agitated tones. Four planets danced around it, one deep emerald, one dark violet, one vibrant sapphire, and one delicate pink._

_"But…no. You're—"_

_Before she could finish, the star exploded in a flash of golden light._

_"INANNA!"_

_Around her, the song of the stars erupted into screams of shock and fear as the star Inanna ruptured in a wave of fire and death. The planets shrieked, and galaxies moaned in horror._

_Then Inanna began to collapse in on herself._

_"No! Inanna, don't! You can't bring them back with despair! Inanna!"_

_The galaxies echoed with her cries, and the stars took up the warning._

_"Inanna," they whispered. "Inanna, beware. Beware the darkness."_

_She reached out, trying desperately to reach the star before it was too late. But Inanna continued to shrink...and slowly, slithering out of nothing to wrap around her glow, came tendrils of darkness._

_"Inanna! The Abyss—"_

_Then it came._

_The sound of the Abyss. The screams, the shrieks, the moans and groans and wails. They crashed down like waves, battering the very universe with ripples of unspeakable darkness._

_"Inanna!"_

_"PRINCESS."_

_The darkness lunged out to seize her._

_She recoiled, rushing through the stars as the Abyss tried to capture her. The darkness began to spread, to seep out, beyond Inanna and her children. It rolled over the stars and planets and galaxies in its hunger, its unending need to devour her._

_"No! Stop it!"_

_"YOU CANNOT STOP US, PRINCESS OF THE MOON!"_

_"Serenity!"_

_Very softly she heard it, the familiar song of that carnelian star. She heard Inanna's voice, calling to her._

_"Serenity! Help me! Don't leave me!"_

_"Stop it! Stop! STOP!"_

_Serenity jerked her head up and faced the darkness._

_"Liar!"_

_The wave slowed, as though wary of approaching her._

_Her righteous anger burned bright as any star as she turned on the Abyss._

_"You are made up of lies!" she hissed. "This is another one of your tricks! Inanna is beyond your power now! I saved her!"_

_"YES. YES, YOU TOOK OUR RIGHTFUL PREY, HEIR TO SERENITY."_

_She heard it in those voices…the voices of four queens and five kings, caught forever in a trap of their own making. She heard the hate, for the descendant of the one who was not caught with them._

_"BLOOD OF A TRAITOR," the Abyss hissed. "TREACHEROUS BLOOD!"_

_"Shut up! I won't listen to you!" Serenity shouted. "You are so twisted you couldn't speak the truth if you even knew it!"_

_"WE KNOW! YOUR BLOOD LEFT US IN THIS HELL!"_

_"Don't lie!"_

_She struck out with one hand._

_Laughter shrieked from the Abyss, and it lunged yet again to get hold of her. She felt the icy darkness wrap around her fingers and her wrist. She felt again the pain she had known the night she followed Inanna into the Abyss, the night she had lost her last connection with the Queen of the Silver Millennium. Her flesh began to peel away from her muscle and bone._

_She clenched her teeth on a scream._

_"This isn't real!"_

_"DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE US, ROYAL MOON BRAT! WE DO NOT EXIST IN YOUR REALITY! WE DO NOT PLAY BY YOUR RULES!"_

_There was a flare of brilliant light. The Abyss screamed, and suddenly she was free. She fell back, and looked around._

_One by one, like holes punched in a black blanket, the stars returned. Their light grew, intensified, until they drove the Abyss back._

_"Run," the stars whispered in their strange chorus. "Run away! You cannot defeat the dark!"_

_Serenity turned, and looked at the maw of darkness where once Inanna had shone._

_"RUN, LITTLE PRINCESS. WE WILL SEE YOU SOON."_

_She let her soul begin to drift backwards, back towards her body. She gave one last glance to the beauty of the universe, and a glare to the Abyss._

_"I'll be waiting for you, every time."_

_Just as her eyes began to close, she heard, one last time, the song of Inanna._

_"Serenity…"_

_She put out her hand as though to touch the dead star._

_There was a flash of pink, a song like the most perfect soprano, and a sharp pain in her palm._

Usagi jolted awake, her eyes wide open, her body shaking with suppressed fear and rage. She looked around quickly to assure herself she was safe. Behind her she heard a soft sigh.

"Usagi? Are you okay?"

"_Hai._ Just a dream."

"Another nightmare?"

"_Hai._"

An arm appeared, wrapping loosely around her waist. She felt breath on the back of her neck.

"Go back to sleep, Usagi. I'm here."

"_Arigatou,_ Rei-chan."

There came a soft laugh, as the other girl read all there was to be heard in those words.

"Shut up, _Odango._"

Usagi rolled over. Rei opened her arms, and let her snuggle close, burying her face in the _miko's_ shoulder. She ran her hands gently over the golden hair cascading loose down Usagi's back.

"I'm here. It's just a dream."

Usagi let herself be lulled by her friend's voice. She let herself believe that she was safe. She let herself fall back into quieter dreams.

It wasn't until the next morning that she saw the cut on the palm of her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: The only thing I lay claims to is the imagination and the bizarre plot twists…_

_A/N: Yup, yup, I'm back in the saddle again! And thank you very much to Lysia Croft (hi, honey! I hope this lives up to expectations!) Bin82501 (it get better from here) Isis Aurora Tomoe (this is just set up, but I hope you like it!) bunny angel (well, actually, Usa's been sleeping with all her Senshi since Mamo-chan left…thanks for reviewing Harry and Ginny, too!) and lija (I don't think I've ever had a beginning that isn't foreboding…is that odd?) Thanks everyone! _

"Another nightmare?"

Hino Rei gave a tired nod as she sank down into a kitchen chair. Three other girls sat around the table with her. Two young women several years older leaned against the counter, on which the youngest girl of all sat. A boyish youth stood with her shoulder propped in the doorway, a look of concern on her face.

"I don't think Usagi's gotten a single peaceful night's sleep since the men left," Ten'ou Haruka noted, her voice troubled. "Maybe we should call Mamoru."

Meiou Setsuna shook her head, setting her coffee mug behind her on the counter. "It's just reaction from the Abyss. Nightmares are normal."

"But she's never suffered from them before," Aino Minako argued. "Not after Metalia or the Black Moon or Pharaoh 90…not even after Galaxia!"

"She went into Pharaoh 90, just like she did the Abyss," Mizuno Ami added. "There's something strange about all this. I'm worried."

"Me too," Rei agreed. "But who can we talk to about it? It's not like we could ask a doctor."

"Well, if we didn't tell them exactly what happened…" Kino Makotot suggested slowly.

"It would be amusing for a moment as we tried to explain," Haruka said, shrugging.

"Focus, love," Kaiou Michiru muttered. "This could be a real problem."

"It's been two months," Tomoe Hotaru said softly. "Two months and…"

The other seven young women all nodded.

Rei ran a distracted hand over her hair as she got up to refill her glass of juice. The Senshi, minus their very distracted leader, had gathered together at the new home of the Outer Senshi for their weekly meeting. As of yet, Usagi was not aware of these meetings, or their content. She did not know that every seven days her eight guardians gathered to discuss their growing fear for her safety, and her sanity.

Since the day their Princess's beloved Prince had left the country, taking with him his own guardians, the Senshi had taken it in turns to sleep with Usagi. Sometimes they stayed at the Tsukino house, sometimes at their own. Either way, their leader had not spent a night alone with her nightmares. Perhaps Ami's mother or Minako's parents questioned the need for these constant visits, but Usagi's mother had been most accommodating. The Senshi were not the only ones worried about these constant nocturnal fits.

_It all comes back to the Abyss,_ Rei thought, slumping against the table again. _It's about what happened inside that hell before we went after her. There's something she isn't telling us, something that is haunting her. When did she stop telling us things? When did Usagi stop sharing her every fear with us?_

Yet even before the Abyss, when Usagi went months without word from Mamoru, she had kept her fear in. She had not wanted to add to the fear of her friends as times got hard. Perhaps it was a sign of her growing mature, or her desire to be more than a frightened child.

_Either way, I'm not sure I like it._

"There hasn't been any sign of resurgence from the Abyss," Michiru continued in her soothing voice. "I don't think it's a danger anymore. Well, not an immediate one."

"But…" Rei stood up, shoving her chair back so hard it almost fell over. "There haven't been threats in the wind, or madness, or deaths, or Ami ripping her clothes off, but I feel like it's close, watching us, waiting for us to make a mistake."

"Do we always have to come back to me ripping my clothes off?" the blue haired genius groaned.

Makoto gave her a sly grin. "Should we go back to you boarding Zoisite into your basement?"

"_Iie!_"

A laugh went through the group, breaking the tension enough for the girls to breathe a little easier. But none of them were fooled. As much as they hated the thought of another battle with the maw of darkness they had faced such a short time ago, they shared Rei's uneasiness and fear.

_Poor Usagi, trying to shoulder all this alone. I wish Mamoru would come home. I wish…I wish Jadeite were here._

In the eyes of Ami, Makoto, and Minako, she saw a very similar wish, a desire for the lovers so recently returned to them.

"So what do we do?" Rei asked aloud, for what seemed the thousandth time since they had begun these meetings. "We know nothing about this Abyss! Not even Luna or Artemis knows anything! Not even _Setsuna_ knows!"

"It was before my time," the older girl said on a sigh. "So long ago that I can't even look back at it. I didn't know there was such a time until this all came about."

"If we could talk to another star," Ami said, "we could maybe learn more. But it was hard enough talking to Inanna in human form."

"Or if we could talk to Queen Serenity. But Usagi says it's impossible, that she's gone forever now," Makoto whispered, shaking her head sadly. "That's such a _strange_ thought. I guess we all thought the Queen would always be there, on the Moon, waiting to give us just one more clue."

"It was bound to happen sometime," Setsuna said. "As soon as Usagi was crowned Queen of Crystal Tokyo and the Solar System, her mother must have given up her power to her daughter."

"But Usagi hasn't been crowned yet, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru reminded her. "So why…?"

"The power Usagi managed to unleash in the Abyss was power only possible for the Queen of the Moon Kingdom," her surrogate mother explained. "It was Queen Serenity's final gift to her daughter. Besides, Usagi is over seventeen. When she reaches eighteen, she will be of the age to officially take control of the remnants of the Silver Millennium."

"So she becomes Queen when she turns eighteen?!?" Minako asked in a startled voice. "But that's not that long from now! She can't…she'll still be in high school!"

Everyone was staring at Setsuna with great alarm.

The Keeper of Time gave them all a smile. "Relax. I said she officially takes control of the remnants of the Silver Millennium. Most of those remnants are sitting around this kitchen. The rest are either our two furry friends watching Usagi right now, or the five gentlemen enjoying Europe."

"Who are not quite so furry," Minako added with a grin.

"Well," Makoto said, "Nephrite is a little furry."

"Oh!" the other seven girls shouted, throwing up their hands in protest. Haruka added, half-laughing, "Don't feel the need to share _everything_ with us, Mako-chan!"

"I _meant_ his chest!" she shrieked, blushing a very vibrant shade of red.

"What makes you think we don't?" Rei shot back, grinning her most suggestive grin.

Another round of shouts and groans followed this, with Hotaru's young voice demanding what they all meant. She was promptly hushed by both her mamas and her papa, and settled back with an annoyed pout. She swung her feet, her heels hitting the cupboard door with a soft, steady thump.

_If I could wish one person here,_ Rei thought, _besides the boys, it would be Chibi-Usa. Hotaru needs a friend her age._

"Back to the matter at hand," Michiru said over the laughter and mutters still chasing each other around the kitchen, "who's turn is it to stay with Usagi?"

"She's spending the night here," Haruka reminded her lover. "Who…?"

Setsuna raised her head. "I'll do it. She can spend the night in my room."

"Better than in _your_ room," Makoto said, jerking her head first at Haruka, then Michiru.

"Three people in the bed? That would just be confusing," Michiru said, unperturbed as she sipped her coffee.

"Or adventurous, depending on how you about it," Haruka corrected her.

Michiru merely held up one finger. "Don't think about."

"Oh, alright."

Rei chuckled as she rolled her neck, trying to work out a kink. Her eyes half-closed, she stared forward at the sunlight dancing along the white walls. The light seemed to make a small pool of liquid gold as it collected in a corner. Slowly, one dark eyebrow began to climb. Her lips turned up in a tiny smile.

"What is it, Rei?" Makoto asked, leaning slightly away from her friend. "I don't like it when you smile like that."

"It means she's had an idea," Ami said softly. "What is it?"

"I've tried meditating on the fire," she explained slowly, her eyes opening all the way to stare at the light in wonder. "I get flashes of shadow and darkness, but it's all going by so quick I can't tell what's actually happening. I'm just left with this feeling that something terrible happened, or is going to happen."

"_Hai,_ you've said this before," Michiru said with an encouraging nod. "Has something come clear?"

"Not exactly. But if this is something outside of the realm of the time line, then maybe it's something outside the abilities of my fire. Maybe I need to try something…more than the spirits of the fire."

"Something more?" Ami asked, sitting up straighter. The others looked at each other, catching on to the subtle change in the air. There was an excitement at the thought that finally something might be done. "What are you thinking of?"

Rei licked her lips, uncertain.

_Can I do this? Do I dare try?_

"I think," she swallowed hard, "I think I might have to evoke a goddess."

Lots of eyebrows rose around the room.

"A goddess?" Makoto asked, her voice strangely breathless. "What…what goddess?"

Rei took a deep breath, looking slowly around at her wide-eyed friends.

"Amaterasu."

_A/N: Amaterasu is the Shinto Sun Goddess_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing…_

_A/N: Return of the boys! Thanks to Bin82501 (Haruka is always funny! And I'll take that as a virtual hug) bunny angel (Usagi's growing up, it's harder to force things out of her these days) Lysia Croft (oh, all sorts of people will be coming back in this story, and yes, Small Lady included) Greyhound Master (I'm glad you were so hooked, I wish it only took two days to write!) astra kelly (the goddess bit will be interesting, I think, hope you all agree!) RedStrokes (I'm glad I made your day, cuz you made mine) Isis Aurora Tomoe (I love you too!)_

"The stars know all."

"I swear on all that is holy in the heavens, if he says that one more time I'm kicking him out the door."

"You can't, Jadeite. We're several miles in the air."

"Watch me."

Chiba Mamoru merely smiled as he leaned back in his seat between his two friends while Nephrite and Jadeite continued to bicker around him. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was sitting at a table, cards and coins piled before them, relaxing after a day of training for Terra's armies…before the war…before the fall…

_Don't go there. Don't let them know you're thinking about it._

It wasn't the glory of Earth when they ruled he worried about his friends remembering, but what came after that.

_That's in the past. That's done. They've come back, back to the women they love, back to their Prince. My friends…_

It had not hurt, exactly, to watch his sweet Princess with her beloved guardians. The memories of his life as Prince Endymion were few and scattered, unless something deliberately brought them to the fore. But sometimes, watching the Inner Senshi in their laughter and friendship, there had been a hollow feeling, of something not quite right. He could not remember precise moments, but he remembered the _feeling_.

The five brightest stars of Terra's army, the Prince and his companions, always together, whether practicing, playing cards, or enjoying rowdy rough-housing in the castle corridors…he remembered feeling complete.

Now he could sit back and bask in the simple, quiet joy of his guardians and friends again.

"Look, if I want my future told, I'll ask Rei. Only don't phrase it as fortune telling, she hates that. But after the Inanna debacle, the last thing I want to hear about are stars!"

"That's what I'm telling you, Jadeite. That is why we should be more interested in the possibility of contacting more stars, and learning from them!"

"The only thing I'm interested in is landing safely from this death trap and getting off the plane to have a crazy pyromaniac jump on me and wrap me in her arms and legs."

_Okay, well, simple and quiet, maybe not. But it's still good to have them back._

"Jadeite," he said aloud without opening his eyes, "Rei is far too young for you to be thinking those things about her legs."

"First off, there are very few things I _don't_ think about her legs. Second, Blessed Sol, man, she's seventeen! She's plenty old enough for me to ogle!"

Mamoru shook his head. "_Iie,_ my friend. She's still not much more than a child."

He heard Nephrite shift to look at him from his other side. "A child? Mamoru, have you _looked_ at those girls recently?"

Sighing, he opened his eyes to glance between his friends. "I look at them quite a bit, actually. They always seem to be in my apartment. But I never look at them that way."

"Really?" Jadeite stared at him as though he were a strange and fascinating madman behind a heavily reinforced window. "You never catch yourself looking at them and thinking, 'Wow, they're growing up hot'?"

"_Iie._"

"Never? Not once have you suddenly found yourself realizing that Makoto's going to need a new uniform top, because she's about to come out of that one? Or watching the way Ami's shirt always seems to give you a glimpse of that gracefully curved navel when she stretches? You never get distracted when Minako starts sucking on the end of her pen when she's thinking? You never just sit there for about ten minutes to an hour and stare at Rei's legs?"

Nephrite pointed at him. "You are banned from anymore meetings."

Mamoru gave him an equally troubled look, but decided to ignore the majority of what he had just said. "I don't stare at any of them like that. Why, would you like me to stare at Rei's legs?"

"Why not? I look at Usagi's legs all the time."

"This isn't a give and take thing and you _what_?!?"

Mamoru felt his earlier swelling of affection turn to something close to deadly rage.

"Oh, come on, Mamoru. Those things are hard not to stare at. Especially when the school insists on dressing them in those skirts. And their other uniforms are even shorter on the bottom, and lower on the top. Plus, when they transform…it's just a nosebleed waiting to happen."

"He has a point," Nephrite muttered.

Mamoru gave him a sideways glance.

"I was talking about Mako-chan! _I_ don't stare at every female breathing!" Nephrite added his own glare to Mamoru's. "And the non-breathing."

"So I noticed a couple of statues in the Louvre happened to be racked," Jadeite said dismissively. "I wasn't the pervert who sculpted them."

"The nude form is not perverted, Jadeite," Mamoru told him. "It is a thing of art and beauty."

"Especially Rei's."

"Jadeite, you had better not have seen her nude!" Mamoru almost shouted. "She's not even _legal_ yet!"

"_Arigatou,_ my liege. If you yell just a little bit louder the whole plane can think I'm a pedophile. And would you relax?" Jadeite gave his laziest, smuggest grin. "You are still the easiest mark in the universe. Well, after Kunzite."

Mamoru heaved a small sigh of relief. "So you haven't been staring at Usagi's legs?"

"_Iie,_ and for two very good reasons. One, she still seems to represent everything sweet and pure in the universe. And two, Rei has no problem with carving a man's eyes out if she feels it is necessary. Now, I won't lie to you. I have looked a couple times, and I wasn't kidding about Makoto's uniform needing to go up a size, but there really is only one woman in the world I want to ogle for all time."

"That is so romantic," Nephrite said with a grin.

"I thought so. And speaking of my other favorite mark…oh, he makes it too easy."

Mamoru and Nephrite leaned forward to look around Jadeite, and across the aisle. Despite their best efforts, the five young men had not managed to be seated all together. Kunzite and Zoisite had been slightly separated from them.

One glance showed where Jadeite's mirth had come from. Unlike Jadeite, Kunzite and Zoisite had no problem with planes. The young men had spent their last night in Europe enjoying a small but exciting nightclub, which had led them to a rather sleepy start the next morning. Once airborne, Kunzite and Zoisite had promptly entered dreamland.

With the help of a little turbulence, gravity, and fate at its cruelest, the two men had slumped over in their sleep. Kunzite sat with his chin on the top of Zoisite's golden head. Zoisite rested with his cheek against Kunzite's chest.

"They're so cute!" Mamoru heard an older woman's voice whisper. "And she has such pretty golden curls!"

All three men doubled over in silent laughter. As the tears came to their eyes, they heard someone answer the woman.

"Ruth…I think that's a man."

"Really? Oh, well, he's still so pretty! You know, my daughter's best friend is gay. He's the most polite young man! And so clean!"  
Jadeite gasped, then managed to whisper, "And here we always complain when Zoisite takes forever in the shower!"

Nephrite pounded his leg in helpless laughter. Mamoru dropped his face into his hands as he heard the old woman continue.

"They are cute, aren't they? Look how protective the big man is, but so gentle at the same time. There's a man who isn't worried what the world will think of him."

Biting his own knuckles to keep from exploding with laughter, Jadeite gestured emphatically at Mamoru.

"_Nani_?" his Prince gasped.

"Your camera. Give me your camera!"

Mamoru shot Nephrite a questioning glance, and received a very agreeable nod. Unable to resist, he pulled his carryon from under his feet, and removed his small camera. He handed it over to Jadeite with only a slight twinge of guilt.

_I am going to pay for this later._

The flash startled Kunzite awake. His jerk of surprise unsettled Zoisite, so that he slid forward, into Kunzite's lap. He gave a strange, muffled shout as he came awake.

"Alright," Jadeite said, grinning with unholy glee, "do you want to tell Minako and Ami, or would it be easier for us to break it to them?"

Kunzite stared at him, then at Zoisite emerging from his lap. His platinum eyes widened in horror.

"Jadeite, I WANT THAT FILM!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own nothing…_

_A/N: Quick one. Sorry, I meant to do something more, but it was a long day at work, and I'm tired. Just a bit of a set-up chapter. Kudos to whoever recognizes the story the class is studying! Thanks go to AmySerenityRaye (I always have fun writing the boys together) micatite (nah, Kunzite can't kill him on the plane…too much security, when they land he's free game) Lysia Croft (I had to do at least one Kunzite/Zoisite joke. It had to be done) Girl Who Writes (everybody loves a squeeling fangirl, so go for it) Greyhound Master (as rowdy as you can get on a plane, but there is going to be at least one full-on Shitennou-Mamoru dogpile) Bin82501 (Jadeite is a loveable obnoxious, though!) IsisAuroraTomoe (no, I've actually heard people say that about being clean) and Minako and Kunzite Forever (hell, I just like that name!) and everyone else who reads, thank you!_

"So they came for her, and took the Princess back up to the Moon, back to her own people."

_"Dearest, I know you are curious, but remember, you are of the Moon Kingdom, and the heir to the Silver Millenium. Earth is forbidden to us."_

"She left letters of love for her foster parents, and for the man here on Earth she loved…"

_"We can't fall in love."_

_"What if it's already too late?_"

"Some versions say she was sent to Earth as punishment for a crime she committed…"

"_Princess! You're here again?!?_"

"…while other versions of the tale say she was sent to keep her safe during a celestial war."

"_They're through the gates! The Palace is under attack!"_

_"Serenity, come back!"_

_"Find the Queen!"_

_"Mama?!? Mama, where are you?!?"_

"Usagi-chan!"

A sharp pen jabbed into her ribs. Usagi jerked her head up and her eyes open, focusing on the teacher at the front of the room. She shook her head slightly, chasing away the echoes of the past.

From the corner of her eyes she saw Makoto watching her warily, waiting for her to start to doze off again. Usagi winced, and looked down quickly at her book. She had no idea where they were.

"The Emperor," the teacher continued in his monotone voice, "heartbroken after the Princess returned to her home, destroyed the bottle of elixir, because he could not live forever if he would never see her again."

_"Serenity, I shouldn't let you come here. But I have to see you. I can't live if I don't see you."_

"He sent his last letter up to the highest mountain, and had it burned in hopes it would reach her in the heavens."

"_I've been trying to warn you! The people of Earth have gone mad! They are looking for you, to _kill_ you! Serenity, I don't know if I can protect you!"_

Her eyelids began to droop. She saw her classroom, and yet, superimposed on that, was the rose garden of the Earth's Palace. She felt the hard chair against her back…if felt like an armor clad arm, guiding her away from the madness and fighting outside. Yet no matter how far he led her, they followed, the voices and screams of war and death.

"_YES, PRINCESS. THERE IS NO ESCAPE!"_

_Leave me alone. You aren't here. This isn't real._

_"BUT IT WAS. REMEMBER THE WAR…REMEMBER THE DARKNESS…THE DARKNESS THAT TOOK YOUR MOTHER…"_

_"Serernity, come back! Serenity! NO!"_

_You aren't here. You aren't here!_

_"WE'RE ALWAYS HERE, PRINCESS. DARK SPOTS IN THE SUN…DARK THOUGHTS ON THE WIND…WE ARE WAITING."_

_I won't let you!_

_"THIS IS OUR HOME, OUR WORLDS. YOUR GRANDMOTHER TRIED TO TAKE THEM FROM US. YOUR MOTHER KEPT THEM FROM US. WE WILL TAKE THEM BACK."_

_You will take nothing!_

_"THE WAR LEFT OUR HOMES HUSKS, SO YOUR MOTHER CLAIMED EARTH FOR YOU, TO KEEP YOU SAFE. WE WILL TAKE BACK OUR WORLDS, AND THEN WE WILL COME FOR YOUR PRECIOUS EARTH. WE WILL BLANKET THE LAND IN DARKNESS, AND SWALLOW IT WHOLE!"_

"NO!"

A flash of light…a tiny supernova…

Usagi looked around her in surprise. She was still seated in her desk, bolt upright and breathing hard, but untouched. She was the only one.

The rest of the classroom looked like there had been an explosion. Desks were overturned, and students were scattered across the room. The teacher was slumped against the blackboard, eyes closed and head limp.

The entire line of windows had shattered.

"_Nani_?" someone groaned from nearby. "What happened?"

"What was that light?"

"Are you okay?"

"Teacher! Teacher, can you hear me?"

"Someone get the principal!"

"Someone get the nurse!"

"Naru, you're bleeding!"

A hand seized around her wrist and jerked her from her seat, onto the ground. As she fell, she felt her desk follow her down. She gave a muffled shout as it landed across her leg.

"Mako-chan! What was that for?!?"

"No one has noticed you were still sitting up, and not hurt!" her friend hissed. "Now hush!"

Ami crawled towards them on her elbows, wincing slightly. Usagi felt her heart drop when she saw the cut across the other girl's forehead. Minako came around several toppled desks, limping as though her ankle were twisted. She went to her knees beside her friends, and joined the other two in looking at Usagi with deep concern.

"_Nani_?" Usagi whispered. She did not like the look in their eyes. It looked too much like fear.

"Usagi…what did you _do_?" Minako demanded.

"I didn't do anything!"

Shaking her head, Ami pointed to where Usagi's desk had stood.

There on the floor was a circular scorch mark. A glance up showed a similar one on the ceiling. Rays seemed to radiate out from the center, like a negative image of a sun.

"How did you do that?" Makoto whispered. "You aren't even transformed!"

Ami shook her head slowly, examining the scorch mark more closely. "We didn't have to be transformed in the Silver Millennium. Remember?"

"Not really," the other girl muttered. "Usagi…were you having another nightmare?"

Her Princess shook her head slowly.

"Not exactly. But…I could hear it. The Abyss. It was inside my head, talking to me."

"What was it saying?" Minako asked.

She stared at them, quivering, uncertain. She had never told them what she had learned while in the Abyss, the one thing she knew that they did not. Looking into her friends' eyes, she still could not.

_How can I tell them that their ancestors are the voices in the Abyss? How can I tell them that the blood running through their veins is the blood fueling all that evil?_

"It was talking about destroying the world. But that's nothing new," she whispered. It was not exactly a lie, merely omission.

Ami, Minako, and Makoto did not look convinced. In fact, they looked completely disbelieving, and slightly hurt.

"Usagi," Ami began, leaning towards her, "you've never—"

"Is everyone alright?!"

The classroom door flew open. The principal and nurse raced in, faces white with shock and horror. Flocks of students stood in the hall, looking through the open door with wide, worried eyes. They were beginning to whisper.

"We need to get out of here," Makoto breathed. She threw a glance at Ami and Minako, which Usagi easily read.

_We need to get Usagi out of here._

She could not argue. She let her eyes slowly sweep over the room, and felt panic beginning in her chest. Somehow, without transforming, without even meaning to, she had caused all this.

_What's happening to me? Mama…Mama, is this your doing? Is this the power you gave to me? _

"Are you girls alright?"

The nurse knelt down beside the four of them, taking a quick peak at Ami's bleeding forehead.

"Miss Juri," Minako spoke quickly, "Usagi was very close to the explosion. She might be in shock."

"Can you walk? You girls take her down to the infirmary. Lay down on one of the beds, Miss Tsukino. I'll come down and check on you in a few moments."

The Senshi did not have to be told twice. Makoto and Minako each grabbed one of Usagi's arms, and helped her rather vigorously to her feet. They marched her out between the two of them, with Ami at her back.

Usagi looked over her shoulder as they walked through the doorway. For a second, Osaka Naru looked her way. Her big brown eyes, usually so trusting and sweet, stared at Usagi as though she were a stranger…or a monster.

_What's going on? What am I becoming?!?_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine…_

_A/N: Alright, a little humor to break up the tension, and because poor Pluto has had it so rough. For those Setsuna lovers out there, I'm gonna work in a man for her. She seriously needs some love. I apologize for how late this is, but I made the mistake of popping in an old favorite, Jim Henson's _Labyrinth_, the other day. By the time we hit the ballroom scene, a story was already forming. My muse turned her back on you all, and would not do Sailor Moon until I began work on that one. So now I have _three _in progress fics. Four if you count the Harry/Ginny one. Yeesh. Anyway, thanks go out to Bin82501 (yra loves hugs! And yeah, Usagi's gonna have a bit of a time with these nightmares) bunny angel (short and sweet, I like that) Isis Aurora Tomoe (sorry I'm late with this update, see above! Hope it was worth the wait!) astra kelly (yeah, Naru noticed something weird) cardcaptor eternity (Usagi has it tough, at least she's got friends who love her) and lija (I know it sounded a little weird, sleeping together, but they are an awfully cuddly group, aren't they? Here's a little humor to help with that foreboding.) _

Rei swung her bag idly as she walked down the street. She glanced around at the people passing her by. It was a nice change not to have to watch them for strange, unearthly behavior for a moment.

_Don't get too comfortable, girl._

Inside her school bag was more than the average girl's homework. Several useful books on Japanese mythology had joined her text books. She planned to share them with the other girls over ice cream in the park.

Rei crossed the road and headed towards their table. It was always the same table, the one they had shared with the newly reborn Shitennou just two months ago. The Inner Senshi had silently agreed to meet there until their lovers returned.

_If that isn't soon, I'm going to Europe to get that idiot! And the others, too._

Of course she missed Mamoru. Though there was nothing between them anymore, if there ever really had been, he was a good friend, and wonderful to Usagi. But more than anything, she desperately missed a different pair of blue eyes as they gave her a lazy twinkle. Even if they were focused hard on her legs.

_Poor boy…_ she mused with a little smirk._ He always thought he was being so sneaky, trying to catch a glimpse when the wind hit my skirt just right. At least he isn't stupid enough to try and flip my skirt. Well, not in public, anyway. He might try it when we're alone…_

The smirk turned into a full grin.

"Rei!"

She looked up, and felt somewhat disappointed in herself when she didn't blush at the thoughts running through her head. As cool as could be, she raised a hand to wave at Haruka.

"Hey! Where is everyone else?" she asked the Outer Senshi as she put her bag down on the table. "Because I've got…Setsuna? Is something wrong?"

The eldest Senshi continued to stare at the table top, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes full of a terrible anger. Without looking at Rei, she raised one fist and slammed it down, hard.

"They can't do this!" she snarled. "They can't! _I'm_ the oldest! _I'm_ a princess, too, damnit! _I_ have a castle, just like everyone else! Just because they're too stupid to find it…it's not fair!"

Rei looked passed her to Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru. For the first time she noticed that the other three were sitting across from Setsuna, with the table between them all for safety. They stared at the Time Keeper with wide, frightened violet, blue, and aquamarine eyes.

"What's going on?" Rei tried again in a more subdued voice.

Setsuna turned blazing eyes on her, and Rei had never noticed how scary red eyes could be.

"So I guess I don't count anymore, do I?" she snarled. "I guess Pluto just isn't good enough?!?"

"Haruka," Rei breathed, beginning to back away, "is it…the wind? The Abyss?"

"Actually, it's the scientific community at large," the older girl whispered back. "Rei-chan, come over here."

She obeyed promptly, hurrying around the table to safety. She hid behind Haruka and Michiru as Hotaru began to slide lower and lower in her seat.

Setsuna proceeded to ignore them all again, now glaring so hard at a passing jogger that the woman quickly picked up her pace. The little girl walking her dog veered off course, and the woman carrying her groceries crossed the street. Red eyes followed them all with a righteous wrath.

"None of you did anything to stop it," she hissed through her teeth. She seemed to have taken a disliking to all of humanity. "No one said anything to stop them! Bastards, all of you! Ought to take that rod to the nearest university and just start swinging."

"Alright, well, maybe we can focus on invoking an all-powerful goddess another time," Rei said cheerily, putting her bag behind her back. "And seriously, Haruka, Michiru, what the _hell_ is going on?!?"

"A good old Dead Scream in the computer lab, that'll show you!"

"Uh, well," Michiru began with an uncertain glance towards Setsuna, "you see…oh, there they are!"

She stood up to wave as the rest of the girls hurried their way. Rei was surprised to see Usagi in the center of Minako, Ami, and Makoto, as she was not to know about invoking any deities. A look of deep concern on all four of their faces made her heart plummet.

_Now what?!?_

"Is something wrong?" Michiru asked as the younger girls stopped at the table. "You all—Ami! What happened to your head?"

The blue-haired genius shook her head, touching the cut. "I don't know, exactly. Something very strange happened."

"I think it goes beyond 'strange', and closer to 'not good'," Makoto corrected her.

"Not good?" Setsuna said, whirling on them all. "'Not good'?!? That's it?!? Because I can give you something that goes beyond even 'not good'! I can give you 'offensive' and 'impertinent' and '_baka_'!"

"Did we miss something?" Usagi asked as all four fell back in alarm. As Setsuna continued to breathe hard through her teeth, they all took several side steps closer to Rei. Automatically, the Senshi of Fire pulled her Princess behind her, and further from the danger of a Time Keeper gone mad.

"You aren't the only one," Rei told them all.

Minako and Makoto looked equally frightened, but a strange look of both guilt and relief crossed Ami's face.

"So…I guess you found out," she said gently. "I heard last night, I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Tell her what?" Rei, Usagi, Minako, and Makoto demanded together.

"I have sacrificed for this system," Setsuna snapped, slamming both fists onto the table this time. "I have guarded the lonely gates since before any of you were born…the _first_ time! I have had no lovers, no family or children! _I_ never even got to attend those bloody balls! And what thanks do I get?!?"

Usagi looked stricken, though still highly confused.

"Setsuna, I promise to throw a ball completely in your honor as soon as I am queen! Which won't, you know, be for a while, but as soon as I am, big party, just for you!"

The older girl did not seem to hear her. Her shoulders slumped, and she dropped her head to the table with a groan.

"I am _not_ a moon!"  
"_Nani_?!?"

Ami sighed and shook her head in sympathy. "The scientific community announced that Pluto isn't big enough to be a planet. So they…downgraded it."

"Can they do that?" Makoto asked in horror.

"_Iie!_ Of course Pluto is a planet," Minako added in a disgusted tone. "If it was good enough for Queen Serenity, it's good enough for a bunch of egg-heads!"

Usagi frowned uncertainly. "Wait. If it's a moon, shouldn't it be orbiting something?"

The others gave her a surprised look, then turned as one to Ami.

"Actually, it's an escaped moon."

"Escaped?" Rei muttered. "Escaped from who?"

Moving again as one, they looked slowly at Michiru.

"Why me?!?"

"Well, Neptune is the next closest planet to Pluto," Haruka reasoned. "So, one would assume, love—"

"That's right!" Setsuna growled, lifting her head from her arms. "I'm not actually my own planet! I belong to _Neptune_!"

"There is no belonging," Haruka interrupted quickly. "Not that we don't love you, Setsuna, but you can just keep your own planet, _arigatou._"

"Well, apparently not."

Usagi moved to the table, setting her bag down. She dropped into the seat beside Setsuna, and put an arm around her shoulders. After a long moment, Setsuna again lowered her head, this time pounding her head a few times on the table top before dropping it with a muffled curse that made even Haruka's eyebrows raise.

"You know," Usagi said slowly, "it doesn't matter what the scientists say. _We_ know you're a planet. _You_ know you're a planet. And I bet not all the scientist think you're a moon. So when we raise Crystal Tokyo, we'll change you back, officially. Then we'll have that big ball just for you."

"Really?" Setsuna asked the table top.

"Really."

She pulled her head up just enough to look around, and gave them all a wan smile. "_Gomenasai, minna._ I know it's silly. I just…it's not fair!"

"It's not," Rei agreed, silently thanking Usagi for the close save. "But you know, a lot of people are used to Pluto being a planet. They probably don't like the change either."

"We could start a petition!" Minako added, perking up. "Pass it around school."

"I'll take it to the cram school with me!" Ami threw in. "Maybe even the teacher's will sign it. Though a couple of them probably agree with NASA…"

"NASA?" Usagi asked. "What's a NASA?"

"Doesn't matter," Haruka broke in. She looked quite relieved that sanity was returning to her surrogate sister. "We'll send one with Mamoru when he gets back, he can take it with him to the university."

"And set one up at the arcade!" Makoto finished. "Great!"

Setsuna laughed, sitting up all the way. "_Arigatou._"

"So, as long as Setsuna is feeling a little better," Michiru said with her most maternal smile, "will someone please tell me what happened to Ami's head?"

"Ami's head is nothing!" Minako muttered. "You should see my ankle!"

"It still hurts," Ami said defensively.

Makoto waved them both quiet. "That isn't important. Before we get started on _that_ weird story, we need fortification."

"Meaning?" her eight friends asked together.

"Ice cream. Let's go."

"Mako-chan, shouldn't we be focusing—?"

"Ice cream," Haruka cut Rei off. "Anything to calm everyone's nerves. We need it."

Rei sighed, nodded, and followed them all in a softly chattering mass passed a table of young men, and across the street.

Within fifteen minutes, they were all seated once again around the table. After some questioning eyebrows and speaking looks, Minako took it upon herself to explain the strange happenings in their classroom. As she spoke, Ami produced her notebook, and opened it to a small drawing of the black mark left after the sudden light. Rei noted how very silent and pale Usagi looked.

"An explosion of power?" Setsuna muttered, focusing on this instead of her own problems. "Well, we've seen something like that before."

"We have?" Rei asked uncertainly.

"_Hai._ When Minako accidentally released all that power from the Abyss, and it became slivers of darkness," Setsuna reminded them all. "We could not destroy them, because they were too small and quick. But Usagi released a burst of pure white power. Remember?"

Everyone nodded, except Makoto, who shrugged self-consciously. "I was bleeding to death by that bush over there, but I'll take your word for it."

"There was a difference, though," Ami said softly. "That time the power healed us. This time…"

"People were hurt," Usagi whispered. She stared down into her dish of melting ice cream, the spoon hanging limp in her hand. "Ami, and Minako, and the teacher, and Naru, and a lot of other people got hurt."

"And there was the burn mark," Minako said, gesturing vaguely at the notebook. "It wasn't the usual gentle light. It was an _attack._"

Haruka took a contemplative spoonful from the sundae she shared with Michiru, and studied the hot fudge as it dripped back into the dish. "You heard the Abyss while you were awake?"

"Not awake, precisely," Makoto said dryly. "She was kind of sleeping."

"I was not! I was just…resting my eyes."

"You were sleeping," Minako and Ami muttered.

"Dozing."

"Whatever you were doing, that's more than just some nightmare." Haruka looked around at them all with a hard expression. "It's still here."  
Makoto lowered her cone and leaned in closer as she dropped her voice. The others moved in as well. "Now we don't even have an alley to guard! Do you think there's another black hole somewhere?"

"A black hole is kind of a hard thing to hide," Ami reminded them all. "And it took Inanna forcing her way out of the Abyss to open one. Inanna's gone. So unless another dying star gets the same idea and tries to escape, and happens to choose Earth, and then Tokyo, as her haven, I think that's not our problem."

"The Abyss exists outside the Abyss," Usagi told them softly.

"That…doesn't make one bit of sense," Rei said.

"The darkness that formed the Abyss is not just trapped in their. It's everywhere."

Makoto swallowed her ice cream hard. "That's a comforting thought."

"So how do you fight an enemy you can't see, but it's everywhere?" Minako asked.

Rei glanced down at her school bag, and the texts on Amaterasu. She nodded slightly to herself. "We find out more about it. Usagi, we're going to—Ah! Grab it!"

The entire group shouted as a sudden wind picked up. Napkins were swirled into the air, and Ami's notebook began to flap away. Michiru shouted, and Ami shrieked as they both lunged forward and slammed their hands down on the book. Rei groaned as she threw her hair out of her face with a hand holding several napkins. As she turned her head she noticed vaguely that the group of young men near them had doubled. She lowered her head without much thought, then froze, her breath catching.

Had she just seen…long white hair?

A ponytail of golden curls?

Wild chocolate waves?

Black, messy hair falling into a boy's eyes?

Had she just seen blue eyes, a lazy grin, and a halo of dazzling blond hair?

She began to raise her eyes again, opening her mouth to comment, and saw Usagi staring at her own palm as if it might hold all the answers.

"Usagi, what are you doing?"

"Two nights ago, when you spent the night…Rei-chan, do you remember me cutting my hand?"

She held it up for inspection. Everyone moved closer, and spotted a tiny little cut in the center of her palm. It looked like the remnants of a splinter.

"_Iie,_ but that doesn't mean much. You're constantly cutting yourself on something. It doesn't look like anything big. Why?"

"I just…in that nightmare, I cut my hand on something. Something pink that was flying through space. It hit my hand right after I heard Inanna's voice."

An uncertain look went around the table. Even Ami and Setsuna only offered confused shrugs.

"Wait. Inanna. Pink." Minako frowned, as though desperately trying to remember something. "What was her name? What was her _name_?!?"

"Whose name?" Haruka and Rei asked together.

Hotaru sat up excitedly. "You mean Tar—incoming!"

Everyone spun around or looked up to see a smiling young man heading straight for Minako. He approached with a friendly twinkle in his eye.

"You go to school with my brother, right? Danno Hoshi?"

Rei looked questioningly at Makoto, who nodded.

"_Hai._ Most of us do," Minako said.

"My name is Danno Sachio," he introduced himself. Rei saw Haruka beginning to stiffen unhappily. Michiru laid a warning hand on her arm. "I'm the Student Body President at the University."

"Which University?" Ami whispered to her friends.

"You know, Hoshi talks about you a lot."

"Really? Who is your brother?" Haruka growled.

The entire group bristled as he gave her only a slighting look, before turning his attention back to Minako.

Rei did not listen to the rest of what he had to say. She looked back the way he had come, and felt her lips beginning to turn up in a smile. She had not been wrong. She did not recognize this Sachio's friends, but she certainly knew the five other young men.

The tall man with long white hair and platinum eyes shook his head as he said something. Then he began to walk towards them, ever the elegant gentleman. Rei quickly glanced at Minako, and saw her look past the Student Body President. She nearly laughed as she saw her friend's jaw drop, and her eyes widened with delighted surprise.

Another quick glance towards the young men to the side showed a great deal of mischief in that face she so dearly loved. She leaned back and prepared to watch the fun.

_The other explosion of power Setsuna refers to is in Chapter 47 of Out of the Abyss._


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine…_

_A/N: Everyone sing along as we do a rendition of My Boyfriend's Back…Alright, special thanks to everyone who read A Woman's Beauty, this is the full thing, with a couple of edits. Thanks bunny angel (Jadeite's pretty damn direct) micatite (you now get to see what those silly little college boys were saying about all the girls) amiee (hehehe) Lysia Croft (aren't they a sweet group? Didn't hurt that they used to live in a palace and be pretty much chivalrous knights, but still…) Isis Aurora Tomoe (they are cute, aren't they?) ZOey89 (I tried to make it as silly as it was romantic) astra kelly (Pluto gets her boy a little further on) Neonlights (that's okay, I suppose I can't hope everyone read Abyss) merangelgal (I worked with what little we know of the Shitennou, and I hope I got close) Luvdarain5 (oh dear, not a one shot at all, see?) AmySerenityRaye (this has to be the ultimate Senshi/Shitennou chapter, at least for me) Bin82501 (if guys were really this romantic, I'd already have one…sigh) Shelly (always good to hear the work perfect) Nyght Musique (notice guys like this are always written by girls…another sigh) and AnnechanB (everyone loves Jadeite in this…hmm)_

"Well, this is somewhat disappointing."

Jadeite looked around Mamoru's apartment, and noticed how very empty it appeared.

"You cannot expect a welcoming committee if you don't tell them when you're flying in," Kunzite growled, dropping his bag beside Jadeite's. "I'm not kidding about that camera, either. I want it."

Jadeite patted the front of his pants invitingly. "Come and get it."

For a moment, unless he was much mistaken, he thought his friend considered the possibility.

Tossing his own luggage onto the couch, Mamoru told Jadeite over his shoulder, "I do expect you to sanitize that thing before you give it back."

"Just buy a new one," Zoisite suggested around a yawn. "It looks like the Outer Senshi got their new house. So where do we go look for the ladies?"

"We need to get communicators," Nephrite added as he headed directly for the kitchen. "It would make things so much easier."

"You can't even work one!" Jadeite and Zoisite shouted.

"I can learn."

"Get out of the kitchen, Nephrite," Mamoru called, pulling his keys out. "They can't be that hard to find. They're either at the park, or at the arcade."

"After Mercury's little strip-tease, I'm willing to bet they aren't at the arcade," Jadeite said. "Kunzite, forget about the lipstick. She'll love you anyway."

His leader gave him a dangerous glare and continued to hunt through his bag. "I bought Minako a gift over a month ago, and I'll be damned if I wait any longer to give it to her. Ah, hear it is."

He pulled a small, velvet pouch from his bag, and placed it carefully into his pocket.

"Alright, let's go."

As they headed out the door, Zoisite glanced at Jadeite. "What did you get Rei?"

"Who says I got her anything?"

"You didn't get her a present?" Nephrite asked, surprise. "I got Mako-chan one."

"I got Ami one."

"I got Usagi one."

Jadeite shrugged. "What, you don't think my presence is enough to make her giddy? Shut up, Kunzite."

The other man, who had not even opened his mouth, gave him a wintry smile and held his tongue.

The friends bickered their way out of the apartment building and down the road. The argument was still in full swing as they took their customary short-cut through the park. Still, as they approached the hedge of bushes that hid them from the rest of the park, the voice of a young man managed to be heard.

"There. See that one? The blonde with the red ribbon?"

Kunzite paused in the middle of a sentence with his mouth slightly opened, then, with the other four, turned towards the voices.

_Blonde with a red ribbon,_ Jadeite noted. _That sounds promising._

Four young men had gathered close by, sitting together around a picnic table in a studied picture of "cool". The top buttons of their shirts were undone, their sleeves rolled up to expose their manly arms. One ran a hand through his hair to give it a windswept ruffle.

"Very pretty, boys," Jadeite muttered sardonically. "Try a uniform from the Army of Earth sometime. That always has a good effect on the blondes with red ribbons."

"Shut up," Kunzite whispered, more from habit than interest, as he glanced around the bush in their way. Zoisite, Nephrite, Jadeite, and Mamoru each leaned out a little further than the one before, so they looked like a very strange fan. Not surprisingly, it was indeed nine very pretty girls sitting together that had captured the young men's attention.

"Her name's Aino…something," the speaker continued. He was the tallest of the bunch, with sandy brown hair and a sleepy smile. "She's a grade below my little brother. He says she just _loves_ a guy with a little prestige."

"Prestige?" Zoisite almost snorted with laughter. "Who _is_ he?"

"Student Body President of my university," Mamoru told them. "He's pretty popular with the ladies."

"Yeah, but how much _prestige_ can a Student Body President have when compared with the General of all Terra's Armies?" Nephrite asked, jerking his head at Kunzite.

"I appreciate your support," his leader said, "but will you all be _quiet_?!?"

"Do you want an honest answer to that?"

"Jadeite…."

"I hear she was throwing herself at all of the Three Lights," the Student Body President's voice interrupted. "She was all over them, even tried to be their assistant for awhile."

"Alright, now I'm dead serious," Nephrite whispered. "Someone tell me, who the _hell_ are the Three Lights!?!"

His friends threw him hushing gestures.

"Now I'm not an idol, but the pickings are kind of thin since the Three Lights left. Plus," the Student Body President smirked, "I'm an _older man._ High school girls eat that up."

"Why bother with a high school girl?" one of his friends said dismissively. "What are you going to do, take her with you to college parties?"

The President laughed. "You don't take high school girls _out._ It's a privilege for them to be alone with you. You smile, you nod, pretend to listen to her little high school worries, promise her that _next time_ she can come to the party, and teach her a little bit about college life in the back of a car."

"Oh!" Jadeite groaned, shaking his head in sympathy. "Dead man walking!"

"What do you expect me to do, Jadeite?" Kunzite whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"Pound his head into a bloody pulp?"

"He's hardly worth it. He can try his hand if he likes, but he doesn't know my Minako. He won't get anywhere."

"You don't pound his head into a bloody pulp because he might get somewhere," Jadeite argued softly. "You do it because it's fun!"

"Me, I don't like blondes," the President's friend argued, the one constantly ruffling his black hair. With dark eyes and a glittering smile, he was the best looking of the bunch. "Now take the dark haired one, in the different uniform. That's from a private school, right?"

Jadeite's temper flared. He did not even have to look to know the four young men were ogling his fiery goddess.

"Can _I_ pound his head into a bloody pulp?" he growled.

"_Iie,_" the others chorused.

"Now that is a fine piece of high school memories. Look at her! An early bloomer!"

The Student Body President laughed. "That's the _miko_ of a local shrine, my friend. My brother says she's…feisty. She plays hard to get. She makes a man work."

"Feisty, huh? But with a hell of a pair of legs. Bet you its all snug and warm between them."

"Oh, hell no!"

Six hands grabbed Jadeite's arms and shirt, while two more slapped over his mouth. His friends pulled him back, shaking their heads.

"Jadeite! You know if he tried anything Rei would just light his head on fire!" Zoisite whispered reassuringly.

"I don't care!"

"Knock it off," Kunzite hissed.

"…worth it for a roll in the sack," the dark haired young man was saying. "That would be one hell of a ride! Look at her face! Look at her eyes! She just screams experienced!"

"Let! Me! Kill! HIM!"

"Stop it!" Nephrite snapped, shaking Jadeite by his shirt. "Get a grip, man!"

"He's making her sound like a Beryl!"

"A what?" Mamoru whispered distractedly.

"Sweet Terra, Endymion, don't tell me you've forgotten all _that_ court gossip!" Zoisite said on a laugh.

"I never paid much attention to court gossip."

"Not even about 'Lady' Beryl?" Jadeite asked, emphasizing his sarcasm by making quotation marks in the air.

"Oh! That!"

"That," Nephrite agreed. "One of her maids told me her bed was big enough to fit five men, plus herself."

"I overheard two maids saying she _fit_ five men in her bed," Zoisite added. "At once."

"Oh, hell, the whole court knew she was fitting a lot more than that on a weekly basis!" Jadeite said, waving his hand dismissively. "I swear we were the only five men she _didn't_ fit in her bed."

"Half the court knew it wasn't just men she was fitting in there," Mamoru muttered unexpectedly. "Some of those maids were talking from experience."

"Didn't she sleep with Neptune's brother once?" Zoisite asked.

"I thought it was her mother," Jadeite whispered.

"This conversation has fallen vastly into the realm of Not Important," Kunzite growled. "Quiet!"

The other four exchanged looks and shrugs.

"…not interested in that much work for a high school girl," a youth with pale hair and glasses said, sneering at the Senshi's turned backs. "I want something quick and simple. If I'm going to work at it, I want a _woman._"

"Try the tall one," the President offered generously. Jadeite saw Nephrite stiffen, his mouth drawing into a thin, angry line. "The one with the dark hair. Not the one with the black hair, she's older. And the other two…well, they don't shop where the other girls do. Though I'd try my hand at the pretty one…"

"You do that," Jadeite said wryly. "Bets on which body parts Haruka would use that sword on?"

"Now the tall one, she can't keep a boyfriend. Too strong, too boyish, they say. Though with curves like that… But she's the best of all kinds of girls," the President said.

"What's that?"

"Desperate."

"Now he must die!" Nephrite snarled.

Mamoru grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

"Behave yourself."

"All you have to do," the President was saying, "is walk up and smile. By the end of the day she'll be eating out of your hand."

"That's not where I want her eating from," the dark haired one said, grinning.

As the other youths laughed, Jadeite shrugged.

"I vote we let Nephrite go."

"I do not feel like bailing anyone out of jail!" Mamoru snapped. "Now shut up!"

"Some days you are such a let down."

"I'm not interested in the tall and boyish," the young man in glasses argued. "Even with curves like that. I want one sweet and girly."

"Well, the one with the blue hair is the resident genius. So talk physics for a bit, and she'll be crawling in your lap…your pants…"

Zoisite's fingers flexed, as though they were wrapped around the young man's throat.

"Resident genius, huh?" Glasses sneered. "Because I want to spend my time listening to some kid who thinks she knows everything."

The fourth youth laughed. He was the shortest of all, shorter than even Makoto, with an expression in his eyes that just begged Rei to slap him silly.

"You are too hard to please!" he told his friend. "Look, I'll take the genius. You take the other blonde!"

"Ah! Now her name's Usagi!" the President announced. "And she's dumber than a box of rocks."

A dangerous quiet overtook the Prince. He stopped wrestling with Nephrite as something like wintry death crept into his eyes.

"She's cute, she'll giggle when I say anything remotely funny, and she'll think I'm a blessing from the gods," glasses muttered. "I'll say I fell in love at first sight, and I'll lay you money she lets me under that oh-so-cute uniform skirt tonight."

He stood up, winked at his friends, and gave a languorous stretch, turning towards the girls.

"He's going to try seducing the Princess?" Kunzite whispered in shock. "Oh, that's going too far!"

Gesturing for his companions to follow, Kunzite assumed a casual smile as he strolled forward. Mamoru shrugged and followed. The other three kept behind their Prince, and at a safe distance from Kunzite's displeasure.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Kunzite murmured with a pleasant smile. He looked at the Student Body President curiously. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Do you go to the University?" he asked, straightening his shoulders with a self-satisfied look.

"_Iie,_ but I have a friend who does."

By way of explanation, he nodded towards Mamoru.

"Oh, Chiba! I was wondering where you went!" glasses said languidly. "You weren't in physics."

"I got back a little later than I planned. But I called ahead, and the professor said that wouldn't be a problem."

"Good, good. I'd miss you if you weren't around to make things interesting. You're the only competition I have."

"You have no idea," Zoisite muttered.

Kunzite turned almost without meaning to, and caught sight of the Senshi's table. Jadeite, following his gaze, saw them leaning closer together over half-finished ice creams. The wind picked up, blowing their hair around in a chaotic rainbow of color. Several yelped, grabbing a notebook and napkins that seemed inclined to blow away. Jadeite looked past all those lovely faces to the one on the far side of the table, with her black hair billowing around her like a dark cloud.

_Rei._

He could not remember her ever looking so lovely, or so welcoming. Only a few steps away, he suddenly yearned for her more than he had with a continent between them.

"A lovely view," Kunzite noted mildly. "I especially like the blonde with the red ribbon."

"Doesn't he just?" Nephrite whispered.

"Ah, _hai_. High school girls," Jadeite added most helpfully. "But not quite worth the interest of _real_ men, huh?"

"Not for anything longer than a week," the handsome dark haired one replied. "Though for the feisty one, I'd give her maybe…two weeks."

_Don't strangle him, don't throttle him, don't smash his head in,_ Jadeite told himself silently. _Let Kunzite do his thing._

"Two weeks?" Kunzite said, sounding impressed. "But first you have to get their attention."

"Not that hard," glasses drawled.

"Really? I would think that there would have to be some…_work_ involved," Kunzite noted in dismay.

"Work?" the President said, laughing. "Good God, their high school girls!"

Feigning a deep interest, Kunzite shook his head uncertainly. "Even high school girls want some attention. How quickly do you think you could attract the blonde in the bow?"

"Give me…ten minutes," the President laughed. "Make it fifteen, in case of interruptions."

"We'll make it whatever you want," Kunzite said magnanimously.

Running a hand through his hair, the President sauntered towards the table of girls. Conversation softened, then died, as he walked directly up to their table. He looked down at Minako with a small smile, and a look of deep concentration.

"You go to school with my brother, right? Danno Hoshi."

"_Hai,_" Minako said prettily. "Most of us do."

"My name's Danno Sachio. I'm the Student Body President at the University. You know, Hoshi talks about you a lot."

"Really?" Haruka said. Jadeite was willing to bet quite a deal of money that the only thing keeping her from coming across the table at him was Michiru's hand on her arm. "Who is your brother?"

Danno gave her a slightly bored look, and returned his attention to Minako. This did not help him in the pretty blonde's eyes. In fact, from the look on her face, she seemed to think it rather rude.

"Anyway, now that I look at you up close, I realize that…Hoshi was right. You look so mature for a high school girl! Wow." He leaned closer and upped his smile. "I would _love_ to take you out some night. We could go in my sports car…or my family's chauffer could pick you up…or my motorcycle…You're choice of course."

"Oh, well, that's nice, but I have a—"

"Don't worry about your parents. I'm good with parents. That's how I got voted Student Body President."

He continued on, as Kunzite shook his head sadly.

"_Iie,_ my friends," he muttered to the other men. "He speaks too much about himself. Perhaps he should try something like this."

He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled forward with an air of casual grace. Minako, still talking to the Student Body President, laughed politely at something he said. Then her eyes happened to glance towards the source of movement, and her smile froze. Azure eyes widened, and her whole body seemed to tense.

"Blessed Sol," Jadeite grumbled in Mamoru's ear, "he's in his element."

"And about to show the little boys how it's done," Zoisite added, grinning wildly.

Kunzite stepped up beside his oblivious rival, pausing for a moment to look deeply into those wide blue eyes. His face softened into a look of awe.

"Artists have for centuries, even millennia, used the goddess Venus when trying to trap that ever elusive reflection of true, feminine splendor," Kunzite murmured, reaching to take one trembling hand in his. "Titian and Botticelli with their seashells and fat cupids, Greeks and Romans with their," he slowly stroked one finger up her arm, "cold marble flesh. And always, always, the lady is nude."

He smiled sadly and shook his head, his hand beginning to slide back down towards her wrist.

"In their obsession with flesh, each and every one of them has missed their mark. The truest womanly beauty is found in the eyes of a woman who knows she is loved as she should be, adored as she merits, worshipped as she deserves."

Ever so gently, he pressed a small, lingering kiss to the back of Minako's hand, his eyes never leaving hers.

"But sadly," Kunzite whispered, his mouth still tantalizingly close to her flesh, his fingers stroking her wrist, "male ignorance and manly arrogance makes it so very rare to find such a look in any woman's eyes. That is why a man fixated only on flesh can never achieve true beauty."

It was not only Minako who was gazing up at him with melting eyes anymore. A collective sigh seemed to go up from eight girls. Haruka blinked, then looked accusingly at Michiru, who quickly lost her amorous smile.

"_Gomen,_" Neptune muttered.

Nephrite frowned and tapped his fingers against his leg, thinking over what they had just seen. Then he, too, shook his head uncertainly.

"Now, Kunzite my friend," he began uneasily, moving towards them without Kunzite's grace, but a stronger, more purposeful step, "there is a certain charm to what you say. I can see that from the ladies' expressions."

On cue, the girls gave a helpful, agreeable sigh. Jadeite saw a muscle in Mamoru's jaw twitch, but his Prince managed to keep a straight face.

"However, can you really confine the splendor of a woman's beauty to merely one thing?"

A glance at Makoto showed her all but bouncing on the balls of her feet. She threw a speaking look at her companions that plainly said, _My turn._

"Take…this young lady," Nephrite said, gesturing to Makoto as if he picked her at random. He stepped close to her, crooking his finger beneath her chin and tilting her face up to his. He stared down into her eyes as a fortune teller with a crystal ball. "No sane man could say she is anything but beautiful. And while her eyes may be the center of it all, there is so much more in her than the love of a man. There is independence like a storm, delicacy like an arc of lightning, and strength like emerald thunder. So much of what she is shines in her face, without any help from a man at all."

Jadeite glanced to his left, and nearly lost his somber expression. Mamoru was innocently studying the sky, and Zoisite the ground. Laughter was shaking both their forms, though they managed to keep it silent. To his right, the rest of the more modern young men stared at Kunzite and Nephrite in a kind of frightened wonder.

"Let's take this up a notch," Zoisite whispered.

"Go, my friend," Jadeite managed to mutter around laughs.

With a step neither casually graceful or strongly purposeful, but easy and comfortable, Zoisite approached the grinning mass of girls. He scanned over Usagi and Rei, both of whom seemed ready to dissolve into giggles, then, as if by chance, his eyes settled on Ami. He tipped his head, studying her as if she were something rare and exquisite.

"There is much to be said for a woman who is strong yet delicate, independent yet content to be adored. She would indeed be a woman of unusual beauty. But there should be something more. A desire to be more. A yearning to stretch outside of the little cocoon of everyday life, a need to reach out and see everything she can, know everything she can.

"In these cerulean eyes," Zoisite whispered, his hand brushing a strand of hair from her face and lingering on her cheek, "I see a desire to learn, to understand everything, from the awesome might of the universe to the splendor of her own power, her own beauty."

To the amusement of several, Ami gave a very un-Ami-like, almost, dare he say, dreamy, giggle.

Looking again right, it took all Jadeite's strength not to double over laughing. The Student Body President had retreated to stand next to his friends. The foursome were staring at Kunzite, Nephrite, and Zoisite with something between hatred, jealousy, and reverence.

"You take the next one," Jadeite whispered to Mamoru. "I need a minute."

Mamoru closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. When it looked like he could contain his mirth, he opened his eyes. He did not bother trying to appear casual. He looked at only one girl as he started forward.

Jadeite watched his Prince with a touch of envy. He moved with unconscious elegance and barely controlled power, like a man who was used to being in control, to being obeyed. Yet the hand that stretched out to his Princess was nothing but tender.

"Love," Mamoru whispered in a voice unmistakably like Endymion's. "Strength. Independence. Delicacy. A yearning to understand. And all of it wrapped together in unfailing innocence, unsurpassed sweetness, and a compassion that is both naïve and awesome. More than anything, a fearlessness of what others will say. A willingness to do what is right when friends say, 'No,' when parents say, 'Don't,' when even the gods say," he raised his hand to touch her lips, " 'forbidden.'"

A small smile of unspoken secrets flitted across her face, and she kissed the tips of his fingers.

"What is more beautiful than a woman with all of that?" Mamoru breathed.

Jadeite could not even look at the modern young men. From just the corner of his eye he could see their jaws sagging.

_Alright, let's finish this up._

He knew he did not walk with grace or power or comfort or control. He swaggered a tiny bit, his eyes catching Rei's. Immediately a flame lit deep within that violet gaze. Yet she did not move forward to greet him. In fact, she crossed her arms and stared at him with cold disdain.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked with a small sneer.

Jadeite shrugged. "I think my friends," he gave a mocking bow to Kunzite, Nephrite, and Zoisite, "and my liege," a deeper bow to Mamoru, "have said it all. All I have to add is that one thing that makes a woman more than a perfect porcelain doll. Hotter than the heart of a flame, wild as a bonfire…a woman must have passion."

He smiled as her stance relaxed slightly, before adding, "There is only one way to truly appreciate the full beauty of a woman."

He reached out, his hand flat against the small of her back. He gave her an almighty pull, and she was flush against him. His mouth landed on hers in one long, searing kiss.

Suddenly she planted her hands in his chest and pushed him back. While he blinked foolishly at her, she reared back and delivered ringing slap across one cheek.

"Sweet Saturn's bloody rings of death, woman!"

"I don't even know you!" she shouted, incensed.

Mamoru cleared his throat softly. "_Ano…_Rei? We've, uh, given up the pretense."

"Oh!"

She grabbed him roughly by the collar and dragged his lips back to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, yanking her off her feet. She half-shrieked into his mouth, threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a proper welcome.

"Woohoo!" Makoto's voice shouted from somewhere to his left. "Now we get to start the kissing!"

Laughter came from the three elder Outer Senshi. Jadeite heard, before Rei completely consumed his world, Haruka's voice.

"Welcome home, gentlemen."


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine…_

_A/N: No, I have not forgotten about the goddess and the Abyss, but the boys' homecoming is such a big deal…especially for the girls. So after this we'll swing back into action. Thanks this time go to Lysia Croft (the hilarity of the boys just keeps going), lija (one of my first thoughts when I heard Pluto was demoted was of Setsuna, which makes me wonder about myself, but I always wanted to write her reaction...glad you enjoyed it! And I will admit, I've seen a guy pull off some really smooth lines...though I think he rehearsed them first), micatite (Jadeite may be an arrogant smart-ass, but he's no fool, and wants to live. he just likes to mess with Kunz...alot) usako and mamo-chan (long name, darlin'! thanks, I tried to make each of the guys very unique from each other), Bin82501 (hugsies! wouldn't you be pissed if your home was demoted? I would...) angel 313 (we're going for humor, so thank you!) bunny angel (it was such a blast to write I'm so glad everyone likes it) AnnechanB (that add on actually is based on a true story, where my uncle was the one who got slapped) Isis Aurora Tomoe (I love trying to work up phrases from the Silver Millennium, that one has always been a favorite, and Setsuna definitely needs some love that is not unrequited) and Anonia (Jadeite could do some damage if his friends let him off his leash...so they don't!) Thanks everyone, and some unabashed fluff! _

The sheer volume of the laughter should have shaken the house to its foundation. Yet none of the fourteen young people within would have noticed. The joy and delight of the friends wrapped them in the happy cocoon of ignorance to the rest of the world.

"Give that to me!" Minako shrieked, stretching out her hand while Kunzite tried to pull her back.

Ami, still suffused in giggles, willingly handed the picture over to her. The blonde looked for a long, stunned moment, then let her head fall back in more laughter.

"Jadeite, this is perfect!"

"It is not!" Kunzite roared, trying to snatch the photograph away. She laughed, twisting just out of reach. "Will you stop?!?"

"_Iie!_" twelve people shouted.

Zoisite, himself trying not to laugh, shook his head at them all. "And what precisely do you intend to do with that picture?"

"The term blackmail comes strongly to mind," Rei muttered.

Jadeite turned to grin at her. "I love you."

"With that much cuddliness, you'd better love her!" Haruka snapped, pointing a warning finger.

Another wave of laughter broke over them all.

Though the Outer Senshi had been smart enough to buy a house with a large living room for just this reason, the party was still somewhat crushed. The Inner Senshi were happily using this as their excuse to remain as close as possible to their newly reunited lovers. Haruka used reaching for her glass to cover her tolerant glance around the room.

Still laughing over the hasty retreat of the foolish college boys, the entire group had poured itself into the house in a mass of voices and cheer. Jadeite, one arm around a slim waist and the other rubbing his jaw, had collapsed backwards into the first chair he came across. Rei shrieked as he pulled her into his lap, then happily adjusted her skirt and leaned back into him. Mamoru had taken the furthest side of the couch, with his arm around his Usako, who happily curled into his side. Kunzite and Minako claimed the other end, she throwing her legs carelessly across his lap. Zoisite and Ami chose the other chair. She managed to still look rather prim with her legs properly cross and her shoulder against his chest. A grinning Nephrite dropped to the ground in front of the couch, while Makoto sat on the arm, playing with his hair as he leaned against her legs. The Outer Senshi shared the loveseat. Michiru leaned into Haruka's side, rather cuddly themselves, on one end. Setsuna let her arm rest on Hotaru's shoulder as they giggled on the other end.

"May we never find anymore Sailor Senshi," Haruka noted, shaking her head. "We won't have anywhere to put them!"

"It's good you all got a nice, big house," Zoisite added. "Mamoru's apartment just wasn't up to the task anymore!"

Nephrite chuckled. "Wait until we start having kids! We'll need a bloody palace!"

"We'll have one!" Setsuna reminded them all with a grin.

"How big _is_ this palace we'll be getting?" Jadeite asked. "As big as the Moon Palace?"

"About that big," Setsuna said. "Maybe a little bigger."

"Whew!" He whistled, then looked at Rei very seriously. "That's a lot of rooms that are going to need to be filled. We'll have to make lots and lots of babies!"

She raised both eyebrows in what Haruka could only call a naughty smirk. "Is that a proposal, my love?"

Jadeite held both hands up in a warding gesture. "Whoa! Nobody said anything about marriage! I just said make babies!"

"You son of a-"

"Get him with a shoe!" Nephrite shouted. "Get him with a shoe!"

The Inner Senshi and Shitennou completely lost any control, falling all over each other in hilarity. Their Outer friends exchanged confused looks. They had to wait several minutes for an explanation.

"We…hehehe!" Ami took a gulp of air and tried again. "We were in the rose garden on Earth, in the Silver Millennium, and we had everyone where we could see them, except Jadeite and Mars!"

"As it is impossible for Jadeite to ignore any form of chaos," Kunzite took up, "the Prince shouted for him to show himself. He burst out of the bushes, holding the Princess of Mars' shoes."

Giggling, Makoto took over. "The next thing I know, Mars appears out of nowhere and steals one of my boots to throw it at his head!"

"I got him, too," Rei added proudly. "If Jupiter hadn't been so stingy with her footwear, I could have taken him out."

"You gave him a bloody nose later," Usagi reminded her cheerily.

"_Hai,_ but it would have been funnier to," Rei grinned at Nephrite, "get him with a shoe."

"It would have," Zoisite agreed with a sigh. "But think of it this way. With our miraculous rebirths, you have so many more chances to take him out with a shoe!"

"Oh, good point!"

"_Arigatou,_ my friend," Jadeite growled. He could not have been overly concerned with the threat, though, as he hooked his chin on Rei's shoulder.

"Never mind all that!" Usagi shouted with a dismissive wave that almost caught her future husband in the face. "I want to hear more about Europe!"

"Do you want to hear how Jadeite almost got thrown out of the Louvre?" Nephrite offered with an evil smile.

"_Hai!_"

"_Iie,_" her Prince interrupted, shaking his head firmly. "Some of these ladies are not old enough to hear that particular story."

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi gave him a hurt look.

"Princess, _no one_ is old enough to hear that story," Kunzite assured her. "Or why he almost got thrown out of the Vatican."

"The what?" Usagi muttered, glancing uncertainly at Mamoru.

"It's the head of the Catholic Church. There should be pictures in there, before Kunzite and Zoisite's cuddlefest."

"Shut up!" Zoisite and Kunzite shouted, while Nephrite began hunting for the proper photographs.

"Look, the Vatican thing was merely a misunderstanding," Jadeite defended himself.

"And the Louvre?" Rei muttered.

"Nah, that was legit."

Her face lit with great curiosity, but she refrained from asking. Haruka guessed she would not be so discreet the second she got Jadeite alone. Then again, judging by the smiles they snuck each other when they thought no one was looking, there might not be a lot of _talking_ going on.

_Whoa! When did that thought stop filling me with a need to throttle him into the ground?!?_

Haruka stared wide-eyed from one laughing couple to another. No where in her chest was that fiery feeling that should have led to a great World Shaking in the unfortunate man's head. In fact, especially when she looked at Usagi and Mamoru, or Ami and Zoisite, she felt they were all rather…cute.

_Blessed Lady of the Moon. I've accepted them as part of us. I…I _like_ them!_

"Love?" Michiru whispered against her ear. "Is everything okay?"

"I think I've lost my mind," Haruka muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Her lover patted her hand and smiled. "Years ago. Don't worry about."

"But…but…I think they're all…cute!"

"They are."

"Really? You think so, too? Okay, I can handle that."

Michiru's body shook against hers with silent laughter, but Haruka ignored it. Instead she looked around one more time, just to test her newfound madness. As much as Jadeite's eyes made her nervous, they never strayed to any other girl. Haruka wondered if he, or any of his male companions, even realized there were girls besides the ones on their arms…or laps.

_These aren't crushes. That's the look…those are all the looks of people in love. Usagi and Mamoru I know, but…the Shitennou are really in love! And the girls…I've never seen any of them look this happy. This is a _good_ thing._

"…and then there was the guy who tried to mug us in Paris," Nephrite said, moving from one story into another.

"What happened?!?" the properly alarmed Inner Senshi cried out as one.

Mamoru laughed and said one word. "Kunzite."

Minako looked up with shining eyes. "What did you do?"

"I, well, I, you know, it wasn't anything much," he muttered, looking slightly uncomfortable under her glowing gaze.

"It really wasn't that impressive," Jadeite agreed. "I mean, he only broke two of the bastard's fingers. If he had broken an arm, then it would be worth telling. As it is, not that interesting."

"You broke two fingers?" Minako cried, snuggling more firmly into his side. "Of course he didn't break any arms, _baka!_ He's so controlled when he fights! If he wanted to break his arm, he would have!"

Unless Haruka was mistaken, Kunzite had begun to blush a most interesting shade of pink. He shifted and smiled a little, embarrassed and somewhat proud. She saw Jadeite noting these behaviors in his friend. A slow grin began to work its way onto his face.

Haruka caught his eye, and pointed a warning finger at him. Her glare told him to just let Kunzite have this moment in the sun. Jadeite sighed, rolled his eye, and nodded.

"_Nani_?" she heard Rei whisper, giving Jadeite a strange look.

"Oh, nothing," he murmured back. "Haruka just told me to leave it alone and let Kunzite shine. She does silent threats very well, doesn't she?"

"Extremely well," Rei agreed softly. "Me, I'm not a big one for subtly. Is there any doubt in your mind what I'd do to you if you made me angry? Say I caught you…staring at another girl's legs?"

"There is no doubt," Jadeite assured her. "In fact, that thought keeps me warm and fuzzy at night when you aren't there. That, and thinking of your legs."

If any other man in the world, or elsewhere, had said something like that, he would be eating through a straw for several months. In return to Jadeite's suggestive tone and waggling eyebrows, Rei giggled and moved closer. Whatever she said in his ear made his eyes widen, and certainly not in fear.

_I'll tolerate him, hell, I'll like and include him, but he better watch his step,_ Haruka thought with a slight frown. _Rei's only…only…kami, Rei's seventeen! When did that happen?!?_

"Haruka, you're doing it again," Michiru muttered.

"When did they all grow up?!?"

"Over the last…three years, I would presume."

"I…but…I…"

"Please continue breathing, love. They're growing up, not growing extra heads."

Haruka hastily turned her eyes from one chair to the other. Ami had a sheaf of pictures in her hand. Zoisite reached around her from either side to point out monuments or amusing sights. His mouth was directly beside her ear, and he kept his voice soft. Suddenly, Ami's back arched and her head tipped back in laughter. For a second it looked like she would slide off his lap, but Zoisite quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her safe. Her head came to rest next to his, their cheeks just touching. Happiness brimmed up in her eyes, breaking down the barriers that always stood to keep people gently at bay. As she turned her head, Zoisite was gifted with seeing beyond the cram-schools and tests and awards to just…Ami. The way he touched her face, his thumb stroking down her cheek, he had every intention of cherishing that blessing.

_Ami! Our little genius, Ami! Look at her! Look at him!_

Looking directly across, Haruka saw Makoto had leaned over to say something to Nephrite. As they spoke, he reached up, catching a lock falling from her long ponytail. Neither seemed to notice as he weaved the soft brown hair through his fingers. Nephrite's lips continued to move, his quiet voice and secret words lulling her into a kind of trance. Green eyes softened as she smiled. She rested her elbows on his shoulders, her body slowly relaxing. For a moment, she seemed content to let someone else support her…carry her. His brown eyes sparkled, and his face tipped closer until he could brush his lips lightly against hers.

_Mako-chan…Mako-chan getting kisses…She's not shy, not afraid anymore._

Beside them, Kunzite and Minako were indulging in a playful struggle over the incriminating photograph. The laughing blonde held it as far from him as she could, shaking her head teasingly. The ice that usually masked Kunzite's face from expression melted from the glow of those blue eyes, leaving him smiling and slightly bewildered. Haruka had a sneaking suspicion he could easily snatch the picture from her hand. Instead, he continued to plead with her. The hand that brushed her arm was soft, uncertain, as though afraid he might break her at a touch. Yet the hand _she_ planted in _his_ chest was anything but shy. Minako caught her lip between her teeth, giving him something to stare at with great interest.

_But she's not giggling, not falling all over herself for his approval…Minako doesn't look like a little girl with another fleeting crush. This is something real, something she can hold onto in the dark._

At last Haruka turned her eyes to her Princess and Prince. Usagi had her head resting on his chest as he told her more of their trip. Slowly, with the utmost gentleness, he ran his hand over her hair, again and again. She played with one of the buttons on his shirt, her smile bemused, distant. Yet the sound of his voice, and the arm tightening around her shoulder, seemed to chase so many of the lingering shadows from her eyes.

_Little sisters…_

"Sh," Michiru whispered, rubbing her hand soothingly. "They're growing up. That doesn't mean they're going anywhere."

"I know. I just…I didn't expect it this soon!"

"No one ever does."

"Blessed Kronos!" Setsuna cried out suddenly. "Is that the time?!? Hotaru, bed time!"

"Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru wailed. "Can't I stay up a little longer? I want to see the rest of the pictures!"

"_Iie,_ little one. It's already an hour past your usual bed time," Setsuna said as she stood. "Come on. Say goodnight, and let's go."

A rebellious look came over the littlest Senshi.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal," Kunzite announced. "We'll put all the pictures away until tomorrow. Then you can look at them with the rest of us, and you won't miss anything."

Hotaru looked unsure. "Really?"

"Really. Zoisite, put them away."

"_Hai,_ General!" Rolling his eyes, Zoisite took the pictures back from Ami and slid them into their envelope.

"General?" Hotaru asked.

"Kunzite was General of all Terra's Armies," Nephrite explained. "He took it very seriously."

"He takes breathing very seriously," Jadeite muttered with a grin.

"Is there a particular reason we haven't gagged you yet?" Kunzite asked, giving the other man his most freezing look.

"_Hai,_" Nephrite answered. "Because we tried it once. He chewed through the gag."

Rei blinked. "Really?"

The other four men nodded with long suffering looks.

"When Kunzite tried to gag him again," Mamoru added, "he bit him."

"You _bit_ Kunzite?!?" Rei yelped.

"_Hai,_ well, he had it coming."

"Hotaru," Setsuna said in a warning voice. "Bedtime."

The child sighed and nodded. "Alright. Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight!"

"Sleep tight!"

"Night-night, sweetie!"

"Pleasant dreams."

"Bye-bye!"

A chorus of voices and waves followed Hotaru and Setsuna towards the stairs. Little Saturn gave them a half-hearted smile. Setsuna threw them a glance that was meant to be laughing, but seemed filled with a frightening wistfulness.

As they disappeared up the stairs, Zoisite shook his head.

"We have to do something about the Time Keeper."

"Why?" Haruka snapped, automatically on the defensive.

"We now have too many couples, and two singles," Nephrite explained with a wince. "The problem is, where do we find another man who can handle loving a Senshi, especially the oldest and loneliest, and who also absolutely captivates her?"

"When you say it like that it sounds more than difficult, it sounds impossible," Michiru said softly. "It can't be impossible to find someone to make Setsuna happy. Can it?"

"Well," Jadeite muttered slowly, "there _are_ two single Senshi, and as you and Haruka have proven that can sometimes work, and Setsuna really doesn't age while Hotaru will grow up in the near future, and Blessed Sol, I just disturbed myself."

"If it makes you feel better, we're all right there with you," Makoto said. "Don't _ever_ go there again!"

"Not going to be a problem. In fact, I feel the need to go and remove my eyes with a red hot poker."

"I like your eyes," Rei said.

"Then they will stay, and I will merely need to shower with bleach until I no longer feel unclean." He paused, then grinned and shrugged. "Unless it's the fun kind of unclean."

"Rei," Kunzite said pleadingly.

She turned and dealt Jadeite a solid punch to the shoulder.

"Woman!"

"_Arigatou._"

"That's what I'm here for."

"Moving past Jadeite's uncleanliness," Mamoru announced, "where would one look for a man for Setsuna?"

"The University?" Nephrite offered.

"_Iie_!" the girls shouted.

"_Ano…_why not?"

"Right now, Setsuna does not like the University," Usagi said, finally raising her head. "Because she's not a planet anymore."

"Ah, I was wondering if she knew about that," Zoisite muttered. "Ouch. Okay, no University. And if the young men from today are a sample, they're not that impressive anyway."

"Hey!" Mamoru cried.

"You are, naturally, an exception, my liege."

"In that case, you're not wrong."

"What about-?"

Everyone froze as Setsuna reappeared on the stairs. She blinked, looking them over uncertainly as silence came upon them quickly. She smiled carefully.

"Something the matter?"

Many speaking glances were exchanged.

"Those scientific bastards!" Zoisite cried, slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair. "Who the hell do they think they are?!?"

A general roar of agreement met these words. Setsuna laughed as she came all the way down and returned to her place on the loveseat.

Nearly an hour was spent abusing NASA in particular, and hard-headed scientists with newfangled ideas in general. Slowly, the conversation lowered from a roar to a rumble, and then down into the range of a murmur. Haruka watched with a slight smile as Minako succumbed to sleep first against Kunzite's chest. One by one, the others followed. For a time it was merely Zoisite, Haruka, and Setsuna whispering together, slightly distracted from their anger by the discussion of which asteroids could also be planets if the need arose. His golden head slowly dipped until his chin rested on Ami's shoulder. He tried to keep talking as his eyes closed.

Setsuna and Haruka giggled as he finally slid into silent sleep.

"You going to try and go upstairs?" Haruka asked, adjusting Michiru's weight off the arm slowly going numb.

"_Iie,_" Michiru moaned in her sleep. "I want the dark chocolate."

"I…I think I'll stay. Is there room for me?" Setsuna whispered, turning wide, almost pleading eyes on her friend. "I mean here, on the loveseat? Am I crowding you?"

Haruka shook her head slowly. "Never."

Setsuna smiled as she curled her legs up under herself. She folded her arms and lay down her head, almost like a sleeping child.

"Goodnight," Haruka whispered. The loneliness in her friend's eyes made her tighten her hold on Michiru.

"Fluffy bunny," Michiru murmured.

"_Hai,_ love. Fluffy bunny," Haruka agreed adoringly.

She took one last look over her smiling, sleeping, peaceful family, and let her eyes drift closed with a satisfied sigh.

Sleep took her within moments.

They all woke to a bloodcurdling scream. They had only a moment to sit up and stare in horror at Usagi before the flash of blinding light slammed into them, toppling furniture and sending Senshi and Shitennou flying.

Several grunts and moans followed as they all hit the ground. Rubbing her head, Haruka looked around to make sure everyone was moving, if in a somewhat pained manner. Then she, like everyone else, looked to Usagi.

A great deal of blinking followed, and several head shakes as they all tried to ascertain they were, in fact, seeing what they saw.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: Not mine…_

_A/N: Massive thanks to everyone who reviewed! But I have to get up early tomorrow, and should have been in bed an hour ago, so personal thanks next time. Promise! For now, enjoy._

Everything was warm, and so very still. She felt something rising and falling under her cheek, something that smelled wonderful. Underneath it, she heard the soft, magical thumping of a heart.

_His heart…His life…I never thought I would have this again. Strange how I never knew I missed him so…_

A scream of pure terror made her jerk straight up with a gasp.

"Usagi!"

Pure white light hit her like a sledge hammer. She felt herself thrown back, felt the chair tumble away as arms locked tight around her body. She crashed down onto floor on top of another body hard enough to make his breath leave in a pained grunt.

For a moment they lay still as their vision returned from the brilliant flash. There came the sound of bodies moving, of other people groaning and muttering. She remembered suddenly the scream of her princess, and jolted into action.

Rei rolled painfully onto her side, and looked. She felt Jadeite crawling on his elbows up beside her. Together they looked up, and together their jaws dropped.

"What the…_Who_ the…love, what's going on?"

That seemed to be the opinion of everyone in the room. She managed to tear her eyes away from the scene before her to take quick stock of the room.

Ami still lay on top of Zoisite, somehow sprawled across his back. Kunzite knelt to one side, frozen half-way through the process of helping Minako to her knees. Makoto and Nephrite lay side-by-side on their backs, propped up on their elbows. Haruka levered herself up from one side of the toppled loveseat. Setsuna pushed her hair back to stare as she continued to lie on the other side. Michiru sat up with one leg still under the piece of furniture, too distracted by the sight in front of her to notice.

Closest to Usagi, his eyes widened in frightful wonder, Mamoru raised a hand. Then he stopped, as though afraid to even touch her.

Rei could not blame him.

Usagi lay in a cocoon of silver light. She dangled in the air, her eyes closed, her lips parted slightly. Her hair spread around her as though the entire area of light were not affected by gravity. She wore no uniform, not that of a school girl or a Senshi. She did not wear even the gown of the Princess of the Moon, or that of the Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Rei blinked several times, trying to bring her Princess into focus.

Something like a mist of silk billowed around Usagi. It rose and fell in that strange place of silver weightlessness, sometimes obscuring her, sometimes as transparent as the light itself. It was not a gown…yet not a sheet…And through it, she caught the occasional glimmer of gold.

Usagi had never looked so beautiful.

"Love?" Jadeite pulled nervously at her sleeve. "Who in all the bloody rings of hell is _that_?!?"

His voice seemed to break the trance holding all their eyes on Usagi. Very slowly they looked beyond her. Eyes widened even further.

It had not occurred to any of them before that it was strange the silver light coalesced around Usagi, instead of continuing to batter them. Now they noticed that her silver cocoon was being held by a barrier of golden light that seemed to pulse like a heart beat.

Standing just behind Usagi was a tall, slender figure in a simple white gown. Her eyes were closed, her face tensed, her brow furrowed with concentration. The sheer power of both the silver and gold light made her hair float around her. It was beautiful hair, Rei thought distractedly as she watched the strands brush against the carpet.

_Deep red…almost carnelian…Inanna?!?_

Her eyes rose once again to the face straining so hard to maintain that gold barrier.

_No, not Innanna. But that face. I know that face! And that hair…red against the carpet…copper against her gown…gold…gold around her face…that face!_

"Merciful Selenity," Rei gasped. "It can't be!"

"I don't believe it," Ami whispered, slowly dragging her legs off Zoisite's back. "But it is!"

The Senshi began to move, first forward, then back. They looked at one another uncertainly. Should they attack? Defend? Or…wait?

"Mamoru?" Minako gasped. They all turned as one to the stunned Prince, as the next in authority to their floating Princess. "Should we…What do we do?"

"I…I don't know. Usako…she's not in pain. I would know if she were in pain."

"Who is that?" Kunzite demanded angrily. "Is she a friend or foe?"

"I don't know," Minako whispered. "She's been both."

"Is she attacking or helping?" Zoisite tried.

"She seems to be helping…by trapping Usagi," Ami said.

"Did she appear before or after Usagi went supernova?" Nephrite asked.

"I don't know," Makoto muttered.

"Does she have a _freaking name_?!?" Jadeite all but shouted. "Who is she?!?"

Rei swallowed hard, uncertainly. "It's…I don't know how, or why, but it's…Galaxia!"


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: Not mine…_

There was a silence as the Shitennou exchanged a slow look. Then Rei felt Jadeite's gaze slide back to her.

"Care to explain a bit more, love?"

She managed to pull her face away long enough to give him a startled glance.

"_Ano_…Rei, sweetheart, we've been dead for three years. You've got to give us a bit more to go on."

"She's the most powerful Senshi of all," Makoto said.

That got the proper reaction. Eyes widened, and returned to the woman hovering just beyond Usagi's equally weightless form. For the first time, Rei noticed that the white gown, and the feet beneath it, were not touching the ground.

"She's a…a Senshi?" Nephrite asked slowly.

Jadeite tipped his head, as though considering. "Where's her uniform?"

Rei managed an open-handed slap to the back of his head without looking. "Will you focus _past_ her legs, please?"

"I am, and ow, and I am noticing that she doesn't look a damn thing like a Senshi."

"That's because…well, I don't know why she's not wearing her uniform," Michiru admitted, "but believe us, that's Galaxia, and she is absolutely a Senshi."

"So, that makes her good, right?" Zoisite attempted to clarify.

Rei shrugged. "Works in theory. Mamoru, I really starting to get nervous. We should do _something_!"

"What would you like to do?"

She sighed, daunted. "I…don't know."

Suddenly, the face fixed in such fierce earnest moved. Her lips parted, and she finally spoke.

"I'm concentrating, not deaf."

Seven Senshi jumped. That voice shook them all, spoken between clenched teeth with a great deal of anger. It sounded not like a Senshi, but the angry Queen of Shadow Galactica. However, her face, though tensed, still appeared gentle.

Haruka found her voice first.

"What are you doing?"

Long, soft lashes flickered, and for a moment that was all the response they received. She seemed too focused on maintaining her golden barrier to speak. Then something eased, and she managed to answer.

"I'm keeping her powers in check. She is strong, far stronger than before. She is reacting as though she were in battle. She thinks she _is_ in battle. Only there are no enemies to strike here, so you will all take the brunt of her attacks instead."

Michiru shook her head. "We waited too long!"

"Waited?" Mamoru snapped. He finally looked away, to glare around the room. For the first time since she developed a school girl's crush for the dashing young man, Rei felt the full force of his power. There was more to him than throwing roses.

Rei was suddenly afraid.

"She's been…there have been nightmares," Setsuna explained slowly. "About the Abyss. They started the day you left."

"Why didn't you call me?" he snarled. Setsuna leaned back, her eyes widened with alarm and concern. "Why wasn't I told?"

"She wouldn't let us," Ami took up, her voice full of earnest pleading. "She was so calm, at first, during the day. We thought they were just reaction from whatever happened in there. We took turns sleeping with her, to make sure she didn't have to handle them alone. She thought…we all thought you all needed that time to sort out everything from the Abyss."

"They didn't seem to be doing any real harm!" Makoto added. "She would wake up, and then when she realized one of us was there, she would go back to sleep, without any problems at all!"

"She didn't want you to know, because she wanted to be strong," Minako whispered. "She didn't want to run back to you all the time."

"She said…" Rei winced. "She said she wanted to be more than just a little girl."

It was not the total truth. Usagi had told her friends she needed _Mamoru_ to see her as more than a little girl. Her face, when she admitted that, had been the face of not a frightened child, but an anguished woman. Despite their misgivings, they had allowed her to have her way.

"I don't care what she said!" Mamoru shouted. It was more than Setsuna recoiling now. Even his Shitennou were watching him with wide, startled eyes. "How could you let her suffer through this alone?!?"

"You may be the one who is going to marry her," Haruka snapped, "but you are _not_ the only one who loves her."

The growing rage in his brilliant blue eyes checked slightly.

"She was never alone," Michiru said. "In fact, I know there were times she would have liked very much to be rid of us all. But we would not leave."

"We've pestered," Rei said, "we've prodded, we've threatened and cajoled and begged and done everything we could to get her to tell us what is _wrong_! And she refuses to speak! Which has never been a problem before!"

"Amen," Jadeite muttered.

"Beloved…"

"Quiet. _Gomen._"

"She was so happy," Michiru finished. "Right before we all fell asleep, I saw how happy she was to have you back. I thought there was no way she could have a nightmare tonight."

The anger in Mamoru's eyes died, leaving behind it something trembling and frightened.

Rei raised her eyes once again to Galaxia.

"Can you do anything?"

"I can't wake her," the other Senshi said softly, the furrows in her brow deepening. Her breathing was becoming labored with the effort of holding Usagi. "I call and call, and she hears nothing. My voice can't reach her."

"Endymion," Kunzite said quickly. "If there is any voice she will hear, it's yours."

Mamoru scrambled up from his knees to stand opposite Galaxia. He reached out, as though to touch her. His hands stopped at the golden light.

"It's like the future…Crystal Tokyo…the Black Moon…she was encased in crystal, and the King could not touch her…"

"Don't think about that," Minako ordered, pulling herself at last up from her strange half-crouch. "Just think about her."

He leaned down, bringing his face as close to the gold and silver light as he could. His voice changed, no longer angry or frightened. It was pure tenderness.

"Usako. Usako, listen to me. Hear me. It's not real. It's a dream, Usako. Nothing more than a dream. You're safe. I'm here. We're all here. You're safe. Please, Usako. Open your eyes. Please. You're safe. Please."

Rei felt Jadeite grasp her arm suddenly. She nodded, silently telling him she had seen it too. Usagi's lashes flickered fitfully.

"Usako," Mamoru tried again. His voice dropped, lowering, deepening, taking on a tone that made Rei blush. She wanted desperately not to listen to him, but in the silence of the room there was no choice. "Usako, listen to me. You know it's me. You know my voice, like I would know yours in the middle of the wildest storm. You know my voice so well even the Abyss could not trick you. It's me. Please hear me. Usako, come back to me. Come back."

The lashes continued to flutter. Her head moved, as though she were hunting through a crowd for him.

"Usako…I love you."

Very slowly, the blue eyes opened.

The silver light disappeared. Rei felt certain if the golden barrier had not still been in place, Usagi would have dropped straight to the floor. Instead she lay very still as Mamoru held out his arms. Carefully, the golden barrier began to fade away, until Usagi lay in Mamoru's embrace.

Rei sighed with relief. Usagi wore her uniform, and looked like nothing more than a startled school girl. She stared up into Mamoru's tender face for a long moment. Then she turned her face to the figure opposite him.

Galaxia opened her eyes as her hair slowly settled around her. She blinked once, as though extremely tired. Yet she smiled at Usagi with a sudden outpour of real love.

"Galaxia-sama?"

"_Hai,_ Sailor Moon. I've come to help you."

The confused girl tried to sit up. Mamoru lowered her feet gently to the floor, and helped her to stand up straight. She held onto his arm as she turned to look slowly around.

The Senshi and Shitennou, in their various stages of scattered and toppled, returned her uncertain gaze with relieved smiles.

"_Minna_…Did I do this?"

"_Hai,_" Galaxia began, reaching out to touch her hair, "but it isn't—Sailor Moon!"

Everyone shouted with surprise as Usagi pushed off from Mamoru. For a moment she staggered into Galaxia, who, exhausted and unprepared, tumbled back into the wall. Then she turned and ran, leaping over Nephrite to reach the door. It came open with a bang, and she bolted out into the night.

"Usako!"

Nephrite shouted and ducked as his Prince nearly kicked him in the head. Then Mamoru was also out the door, after Usagi.

"They're always running!" Jadeite growled as he lunged up. "Come on!"

"Wait! Galaxia!" Ami cried, hesitating as they all rushed for the door.

"I'm fine," the powerful Senshi assured them. "Go find her, quickly! She's in danger! And…she's dangerous."

There was a mad pile out the door. Seven Senshi and four Shitennou tumbled out onto the sidewalk, looking quickly up and down the street. Kunzite gave a shout as he spotted Mamoru, disappearing around a corner.

"That way!"

"WAIT!"

Everyone froze, looking at Michiru's frightened face.

"_NANI?!?_" they all shouted.

"There was a lot of noise going on there, and Hotaru didn't come down at all."

"Bloody rings of…alright!" Haruka shouted. "We'll take this Messiah, you go after the other one!"

"Right!"

The Inner Senshi and Shitennou turned to fly after their Prince and Princess, while their elders raced back into the house, and up the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were…

A/N: For those of you wondering what Hotaru was up to all the time they were yelling and jumping about down stairs, here you go! Thanks go to Isis Aurora Tomoe (just one chapter this time, but lots of content) Bin82501 (thanks for saying it, I've always loved Endymion/Mamoru, in a fantasy-I-wish-there-were-men-like-that sort of way) lkwREADer (I love a comprehensive review, thanks for that, and I hope this one lives up to expectations) bunny angel (we don't see Mamo-chan angry much, so it's hard to gauge, glad I got it right, and remember, at the end of the Stars season Galaxia was good again, they all know that) Butterfle (yup, I always wanted to bring Galaxia back 'cause she's so neat, and I've only ever heard her call Usagi Sailor Moon, as for what happened with the Abyss...you'll see) and AngelMoon Girl (updating as soon as I can, but gotta work and make the rent...sigh.) Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter seven, sorry I didn't get to you personally, don't hate me!

_"STOP! WE HAVE TO STOP!"_

_"NO! HOLD TIGHTER! WE CAN-!"_

_"WE CAN'T!"_

_It hit her like a blade of ice._

_The darkness, the envy, disgust, despair, mistrust, fear, hopelessness, loneliness, and rage of all their kingdom, of the galaxy…of everything._

_It cut her, through flesh, and bone, and heart, and soul._

_It clove her in two._

_"NO!"_

_Strange, how she could hang there in space and watch them all…including herself. Still they floated in their circle, all of them so beautiful and powerful, all of them clinging to each other, and all of them killing themselves. They knew it was the end. She saw _her_ mouth working in horror, blood cascading down _her_ face, _her_ violet gown split down the center where more blood flew free._

My blood? Why don't I feel…?

_Yet she could do nothing but watch._

_In the center of them all it twisted, all the darkness, spinning around itself, growing beyond measure. A tendril of black lashed out, and wrapped around a tiny ankle._

My ankle.

_It pulled._

_"SATURN!"_

_"HOLD ON!"_

_"SHE'S SLIPPING!"_

I'm slipping! Help me!

_Then the screams began._

_Screams of pain, of unimaginable torture and unbearable loss._

_She saw it. A whirlwind of gnashing teeth and screaming faces. There were too many of them, those people drawn shrieking into the maw. So many faces…they blended together, too many bulging eyes and gaping mouths._

_Soon, there would be ten more._

_"PULL!"_

_"FOCUS! WE AREN'T FINISHED YET!"_

_"WE HAVE TO _STOP_!"_

_It was agonizingly slow._

_It happened in a second._

_Her own face, crumbling in pain._

_Nine other faces, eyes clenched in concentration._

_Suddenly, one pair of eyes flew open._

_Blue eyes._

_"Oh, Goddess."_

_The darkness exploded…_

_Imploded…_

_The screams rose…_

_Someone let go._

_"SERENITY!"_

_More faces, swirling in the darkness…screaming, ever more screaming…Faces she knew…_

_Patient Pluto._

_Graceful Neptune._

_Wild Uranus._

_Mighty Jupiter._

_Fierce Mars._

_Gentle Earth._

_Beautiful Venus._

_Wise Mercury._

And…my face. That's me. That's me!

_Quiet Saturn._

I can't scream! Why can't I even scream?!?

_One by one, they slipped into the darkness, drawn in, feeding the darkness with more blood._

We're done. It's all over. We've failed. Oh, children, we've failed.

_She could not even cry._

_She had no eyes…no ears…no flesh…no body…_

_Still, she could see._

_She saw the glimmer._

_She saw the flash of silver in the center of the darkness._

_Light, brilliant light, pushed the shadows back just long enough for one more beautiful face to tilt back. Blue eyes locked on her gaze._

_A single finger rose, and pressed to pink, soft lips._

_"Promise never to tell," a voice whispered. "Keep our secret in silence."_

What? What do you mean?

_"Secret. Silence."_

What?

_"Sh."_

_Pink lips turned up in a gentle little smile._

_The blue eyes closed._

_The light went out._

_There was a ripping sound._

_There was darkness._

_Then there was Silence._

She sat straight up in bed, a hand flying to her throat. A scream hung in the air, but sounded too faint to be her own. For a second she tried to make a noise, to prove she could. Nothing came out.

_Why? What's wrong with me?!?_

Then she realized…she could not breathe. Something was choking her, holding her voice at bay.

She threw back her blankets, and stumbled to her feet. She stood for a moment, blinking as the room tilted and spun. Then she turned, and took three tottering steps across the room to fall on her knees in front of the wastebasket.

She did not even bother pushing her hair back as she began to vomit. Tears coursed down her cheeks while her body shook uncontrollably. Even after her stomach was empty of all its contents, it continued to heave. She coughed and gagged, fighting with her body for air.

With a mighty gasp, she managed to clear her throat enough for oxygen to rush into her lungs.

Still trembling all over, she slumped slowly to the side until she fell onto the floor. She lay there, slowly dragging air in through her nose, and out through her mouth. Both hands rose to cover her face, and she let out a strangled sob.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" she whispered over and over again. "Oh, my God! They're screaming! I can still hear them screaming!"

Faces flashed again through her mind, faces she had never seen before, but now were etched eternally into her memory. Five men, and four women, screaming for their lives, for their very _souls._ And one more...that gentle face, with wide, sad blue eyes.

"Oh, my God," she moaned. "Why?!? Why are you all in my dreams?!? Why are you in my mind?!? _What do you want from me?!?_"

Her fingers clenched tight on her face, and she finally noticed something. Her hands were not slick with tears. Something was catching them, blotting them so they were only damp spots against her hands.

Very slowly, she pulled her hands away from her face, and stared at the white fabric stretched over them.

Jerking her head back, she looked harder, at her hands, at her arms. She looked down, at the white bodysuit and the dark violet _fuku._ Beyond that, she saw the tall purple boots laced up her legs.

She jerked herself up, once again, sitting and staring.

"I'm…I'm transformed. How can I be transformed?!?"

Sailor Saturn's head whipped around, looking back the way she had come.

There, lying beside her bed, was the Silence Glaive.

"I…I don't…_nani?_ Mama? Papa? Mama? Where…where are you?"

She pushed off of the floor, staggering several times before she caught her balance. She took a step forward, towards the Glaive, then stopped cold. She narrowed her eyes, squinting to see clearly.

It was not a trick of the light.

The Silence Glaive was glowing, a strange, deep crimson light, the color of freshly spilled blood. Yet it was not acting like light. It was more like mist, twisting and drifting in a nonexistent wind.

"What's happening?" Saturn whispered. Her hands shook harder than ever as she backed away from her weapon. Instead of familiar, it suddenly seemed strangely alien. In a moment of near-madness, she felt like it was watching her, waiting for something.

"What…what do you want?" she whispered to it. "Are you…what _are_ you?"

It began to tremble, then slid forward an inch. For a moment she felt power gather, like someone tensing their muscles. Then, slowly, it began to rise.

"Oh, my God."

She turned, and bolted for the bedroom door.

There was only a soft _whoosh,_ then a dull _thud._

Saturn leapt back. Her mouth fell open in horror as she stared at the blade of the Silence Glaive, sunk into the wood of her door, less than an inch from where her hand had rested only a second before. She stumbled over her own boots as she scrambled away.

"Mama!" she breathed in horror. "Papa! Someone help me! Someone!"

As terrified as she was, she still could not manage a scream.

The Silence Glaive heaved against the wood, trying to free itself. Eyes wide in ever growing horror, Saturn thought for a second. Then she raced for the window.

_I can climb out, or jump! A Senshi can make that jump easy when transformed!_

A strange sound hit her ears…the sound of wood splintering.

"_Iie!_ Stay away!"

The Glaive flew past her, so close she felt the wind of its passing against her right ear. It sped across the room, flipping suddenly so that the blade faced her. It stopped just in front of the window. The blade in her face forced her to a halt.

"_Nani?!?_" she cried. "What's happening?!?"

It floated closer, making her slowly back away. When it seemed satisfied she could not escape, the blade rose and the staff lowered, until it stood upright, the end floating an inch above her carpet. It hovered there, like a sentinel with arms crossed, trapping her to this room.

"Why are you doing this?" Saturn pled softly. "Why can't I leave? Why am I asking you questions like you can answer?"

The light flickered and flared around the Glaive, and a strange sweep of power hit her. It was like bitter laughter, but filled with an ancient sadness. For a moment the glowing red mist seemed like a figure, shaking its head.

"You can…can you hear me?"

Another flicker and flare.

"I guess that's an affirmative," she said slowly. "Are you a spirit, possessing the Silence Glaive?"

A flash, like anger.

"You…you _are_ the Glaive?"

The mist seemed soothed, and spun softly around the blade.

"You're…alive?!?"

The sadness came again, deeper and darker. The Glaive trembled, and dipped. The mist stilled.

"I don't understand," Saturn said softly. "What's going on?"

There was a sudden uproar of voices. She heard shouting from beneath her, men and women's voices raised in alarm. There came the sound of the door crashing open. The voices fled outside, until she could hear them under her window.

"What's happening?"

Saturn tried again to get to the window.

The Glaive whisked into her path, and pushed her back.

"But something's happening!" she cried. "Is someone hurt?"

More bitter laughter, striking like bolts against her heart.

"What do you want from me?!?" she almost shrieked.

The red, glowing mist billowed, and wafted closer.

_Silence…_

She started back as the words flickered, waking again from her memory.

She saw again the swirling faces, drawn into the darkness.

"_Nani?_"

_Secret in silence…Silence…_

A violet gown, split down the front…dark eyes, wide with horror…a face screaming…blood streaming…

_Promise never to tell._

"Are you…is this a threat?" Saturn demanded, voice shaking.

_Never tell._

Her jaw firmed, and her violet eyes blazed.

"Then you shouldn't have shown me."

The red mist snapped with fury.

"I'm telling them," Saturn snapped. "They need to know. Try to stop me."

She did not even get a chance to turn around.

The Silence Glaive moved too fast for her to do anything but watch.

She barely had a moment to see it flip again, the blade aiming straight for her heart. A horrible pain, like a blade of ice, slid into her chest.

Sailor Saturn gasped, looking down at her own weapon sunk deep into her chest. Then her knees gave way, and she fell.


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing with them, I'll give 'em back all cleaned up…_

_A/N: Sorry about that. The Internet has been, well, a problem. I was doing so well, too. Then I went on vacation, where I have free Internet, and I forgot my chapters at home. So this is a re-write, but I like it better than the original. I hope you guys do, too! Special thanks this time go to bunnyangel (we all love Hotaru, and I never kill main characters…at the beginning of the story) Isis Aurora Tomoe (you're supposed to be a little lost here, but it will all come clear as we keep going) lkwREADer (Hotaru has a big part coming up, don't worry, she'll be alright…kinda) AngelMoon Girl (I'll try and get back on track with my updates for all my series, sorry!) Bin82501 (not precisely a metaphor, but it is important to the storyline, and her role in it) Butterfle (Hotaru doesn't fully understand what she has to tell them, either, but she wanted to try and explain that dream, but the Glaive didn't want her to, and I'm tackling the origins of the Glaive here) Anonia (uh, not a joke, but again, I am far from done with Hotaru for this story) Kaika-sama (I meant to updated quickly, again with the damn Internet, and Jed/Rei are the most fun to write) astra kelly (sorry for late update, and yes, Hotaru has not left the building yet) and ash (in the series, Usagi is the only one who gets any real lovin', and Haruka and Michiru, and damnit, everyone else deserves some too! especially Setsuna, glad you're with me on this one!) Okay, everyone enjoy, and if you're reading Silk and Steel or Wolf Moon…I'm on it! _

Her steps had slowed and faltered over a block ago. It was at an unsteady walk that Usagi dragged herself a few feet further, to collapse weakly against the brick wall of a nearby building. She raised her shaking hands to her face, and pulled cool oxygen into her raw, aching throat.

Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. The tears that seemed ever present these days came yet again to fill her cupped and poured down her wrists. Terror and grief snatched her voice from her, until she could do no more than sob in utter silence.

_What's happening?!? My friends…my friends…I hurt my friends! All of them, lying there…burns on the walls…did they see? Did they see what I've done? How is this happening?!?_

She did not even feel as her fingers clenched, and her nails dug into her flesh. She did not see a drop of red slide down the side of her face to swirl with the tears in her hands. Her eyes twisted up tight, she pushed away everything but the memories, trying to sort through the chaos to find any truth she could cling to.

Usagi had lain with her head against Mamoru's chest for nearly an hour, letting his beloved voice lull her to sleep. The last thing she knew was the feel of his hand, stroking slowly over the back of her head with a tender touch. Then she allowed her eyes to close, and sleep to come.

_The beauty of space…the singing stars…the dancing planets…the inescapable attraction of gravity… a universe held together through love._

_Then the Abyss came._

_The same…always the same. The screaming faces…the gnashing teeth…the howls for blood, always more blood…and the voices of the dead rulers of the Solar System._

_"LITTLE GIRL, LITTLE GIRL. ARE YOU LOST? ALWAYS FINDING YOUR WAY INTO TROUBLE. SILLY LITTLE PRINCESS."_

_She turned to face the dark and bloody whirlwind, the shrieking and laughing and wailing evil. Her hands rose, her heart thrumming with power. Her hair whipped around her body in a golden cloud, and her blue eyes shone with purpose._

_"You keep trying to devour me," she hissed, "and you keep failing. When will you learn? I won't let you win!"_

_Between her hands, a light began to glow. It flared and danced, the shape of the most lovely and pure crystal. The brilliant silver glow lashed out like a weapon. The shadows quivered, and drew closer in on themselves, spinning tighter and tighter._

_Yet, from within the Abyss, laughter came._

_"YOU? HOW WILL YOU STOP US? WITH THAT MEAGER POWER? OH, WE THINK NOT."_

_"Do not forget who I am," she whispered, a small, fierce smile pinching her lips. "I am the heir to the Moon Kingdom! I am the mistress of the Silver Imperium Crystal!"_

_The darkness roiled with its rage, striking out with long tentacles of shadow. The song of the stars dropped to worried murmurs, as the planets quivered uncertainly. Through the writhing tempest of malevolence, she saw flashes of faces, distinct faces, with features she knew in the faces of those she loved most._

_Five men._

_Four women._

_Kings and queens devoured by a trap of their own design._

_They were beautiful faces, with perfect features, and each brow adorned by a distinct crown. Yet she recoiled as she was confronted with eighteen empty and bleeding eye sockets._

_"SAVE YOUR PRIDE AND YOUR BOASTS, LITTLE PRINCESS! WE ARE THE RIGHTFUL RULERS OF THOSE WORLDS! YOU ARE NO QUEEN!"_

_She looked from one face to the next, her head shaking in horror._

"_You can't even see yourselves! You can't even understand what you have become! You are…you are monsters, wearing the masks of great men and women! You are _nothing_!"_

_Nine mouths moved together._

_"WATCH YOUR TONGUE, LITTLE PRINCESS. YOU BEGIN TO MAKE US _ANGRY_!"_

_The hair of all four fallen queens writhed around their heads, then flashed out, becoming the tendrils of shadow. They struck fast, lashing tight around her ankles. She cried out in alarm and pain, and thrust one hand blindly down towards the tentacles. The blazing jewel in her hand singed and burned the darkness, but more came, wrapping around her legs and up her thighs. Several spun around her waist, squeezing tight until she nearly doubled in her agony. She brought her brilliant crystal back to her chest, cradling it close to keep it safe._

_"Let me go! I don't fear you! I've defeated you before!"_

_"IF YOU DON'T FEAR US, WHY ARE YOU SHAKING SO HARD?"_

Because I don't want to die!_ she thought wildly. _I can't die!

_"YOU DEFEATED US WITH INANNA'S HELP. AND NOW, LITTLE PRINCESS, YOU ARE SO VERY ALONE."_

I am alone! Someone, help me!

_Struggling wildly against the grasping fingers of the Abyss, she saw something strange, something completely out of place._

_Weaving between those nine leering faces, with their empty eyes and beautiful features twisted with cruelty, it shone as bright as a star against the churning black. It fluttered about, a tiny, perfect silver petal battered by a foul wind. It spun closer, as close as it seemed to dare._

_Strangely, the nine faces took no notice of this light._

_It spun out to the very edge of the Abyss, and as she reared her head back, about to shout an attack, any attack, a soft whisper reached her ears._

_"Not yet, Princess. It is not time to fight yet."_

_Her voice faltered, her eyes fixed uncertainly on the strange, dancing petal. More black, freezing tentacles wrapped around her and dragged her closer to hell. She looked into those laughing, pitiless faces, and opened her mouth again._

_"No! Come closer…closer to me…child of Serenity."_

_The voice struck her with the softness, the sadness within the strength of the words. For reasons she could not say, she trusted that voice._

_"Yes. Come to me. I will help you, heir to the Silver Millennium. Come closer…keep your hand free…be ready…"_

_Once again, she bit back her panic and her attack. She fought the tow of the Abyss, throwing her right hand over her head to keep it free as the left was bound, with the crystal, to her body. Nine faces laughed, mouths opening hungrily as she came nearer. None of them saw the petal dancing ever closer to their prey._

_"Not yet, Princess. Wait…wait…"_

_She came closer, ever closer. The flesh of her feet began to flay away. Her blood spun around her, peppering her own face and hair. The panic crept up, her heart straining to keep beating in her terror. She had to be free now…now…_

_"Now!"_

_With every ounce of strength left in her small body, she threw herself against the black shackles around her body. She flung her right hand out, stretching as far as she could, her body shrieking in agony as the darkness tightened, and the Abyss roaring in its anger as it realized it had been tricked._

_"NO! NO, YOU CAN'T RELEASE—!"_

_Two fingers closed on the tiny white petal._

_Infinite power flooded her body._

_Unbridled fury filled her heart._

_Terrible sadness shook her soul._

_Light exploded from her form, slicing through the tresses of darkness trapping her body. Nine faces reared back, thrashing back and forth while their mouths opened in screams of horror. The swirling darkness was yanked back across them, like a protective veil. The Abyss collapsed further and further in on itself, fleeing as fast as it could._

_Her entire body arched, grappling with the awesome force within her._

_The light grew, filling her vision. The stars sang again, ancient voices filled with fear and warning. She could not hear them, could see and hear nothing but this power coursing through her veins, making her stronger than ever before._

_Her body arched, almost as if in pain._

_Then…_

Usagi let her hands fall. Tears still glazed her cheeks, and blood still trickled from three little crescent-shaped cuts. She noticed none of it, letting the soft, cool breeze begin to dry her face as she marveled over what happened next.

_She floated encased in light. The power fluttered around her, caressing her with tiny, silken fingers. She breathed easily, filled with strength and assurance._

_Even with her eyes closed, she knew that a figure stood to either side of her._

_The one to her left was strangely silent, though for some reason she thought the woman's lips might be moving. She was familiar, but seemed distant, far away._

_The one on her right stood much closer, leaning over so her face was directly above. Usagi was given a brief impression of blue eyes, wide and filled with a wistful strength. Soft pink lips whispered, trying to get her attention._

_"The secret…Princess, you must learn the secret…"_

_Another voice spoke, from directly behind the second woman. The words made even less sense, but the new voice caught her attention. It was a voice she knew, a voice she adored._

_The woman tried to speak over him._

_"Princess…listen to me!"_

_The other voice continued, and spoke her name._

_"Usako, listen to me…my voice…the Abyss…hear me…"_

_"Princess…the secret…Silence holds the secret…hear me…"_

_She twisted her head, hunting through the darkness for his voice._

_"Come back to me…"_

_"Stay with me…Princess…Silence holds the secret…Silence knows…"_

_"Usako…I love you."_

Usagi turned her head away now, trying to escape those words, that voice.

"Mamo-chan…my Mamo-chan…"

For a moment she had lain in his arms, and for a moment she had been safe. Then she found her own feet. She looked around the living room, and saw her friends all scattered as though a giant hand had thrown them negligently about. Each looked at her with concern, not for themselves, but for her. And to her left, the other figure…

"Galaxia-sama?"

Even now, the words sounded strange. Those brilliant garnet eyes, as bright as even Setsuna's, that long, glorious hair, spilling down from a crown of gold to become a cloak of deep scarlet, and that beautiful white gown…it all looked so out of place in the Outer Senshi's modern, every day living room. Even their former enemy seemed worried for Usagi's safety.

_I hurt them all, and they can't even think of their own wounds. What kind of leader does that make me?_

So she had fled, through the door and down the road. She knew they followed her even still, and that they would not give up easily. Their dedication to her made her even more determined to escape them.

_I'm too dangerous now. I need to understand what is happening, and I can't…I can't put them all in the way of the consequences. Because when I was floating…when I was inside all that power…I felt…I felt stronger than I've ever felt. Like no one could ever stop me._

_Not even myself._

Usagi finally looked about her, taking stock of her surroundings. She stepped back from the brick building, and saw beside it an alley. What little color remained in her face swiftly drained away.

"Here?" she whispered in shock. "Why here?"

Before her was a very distinct alley, the alley where Inanna had first forced her way free of the Abyss, and into their world. Unbidden, the Abyss had followed. For many nights, this alley had been the scene of unspeakable evil, and terrible deeds.

"Full circle," Usagi whispered. "I'm back at the beginning."

"USAKO!"

Mamoru's voice made her start. Footsteps came closer, from around the corner. She hesitated for just one second, then dove into the darkness of the alley. As quickly and quietly as she could, she scrambled to the other side of a set of garbage cans and threw herself against the wall, crouching down and ducking her head until it touched her knees.

_Keep going. Keep going, Mamo-chan._

The footsteps slowed. She heard him pause, his breath coming in sharp gasps. She knew he was staring at the alley, uncertain what to do.

"Usako? Are you…?"

Several footsteps were taken towards the entrance to the alley.

_Mamo-chan, don't! Run away!_

"Usako?"

She bit down on her hand to keep from crying out his name.

The footsteps stopped, then retreated.

"_Iie. _She wouldn't…not in there."

More footsteps drew closer, and more voices.

"Mamoru! Have you found her?"

"Why did you stop here?"

"She wouldn't come here!"

"Anywhere but _this_ accursed place!"

Mamoru hesitated, then answered them all. "Kunzite's right. She wouldn't come here. Not here."

"Well then come on!" Rei snapped. "Why stand around here?"

The footsteps hastened again to a run. A peak around the garbage cans showed her a quick glimpse of Ami disappearing behind the next building. Moments later, even the sounds of their running began to fade.

"_Hai,_" she whispered with a sad smile. "Run away. Galaxia-sama is powerful. She will protect you, if it comes to that. She can help you, now that I can't."

Usagi straightened from her crouch, finally wiping away the last lingering drop of blood from her face. She looked down, noting with mild surprise she was wearing no shoes, just socks. As she began to ponder her next move, she walked towards the mouth of the alley.

Her entire body seized up in fear, and her voice caught in her throat as two hands closed tightly on her arms from behind.

A breathless voice hissed two words in her ear.

"_Help me!_"


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them for a bit…_

_A/N: I'm trying, I'm trying to get more updates going! See the last two chapters of Silk and Steel for explanations on the long wait. Gomen! Thanks go to Bin82501(I need to get all the threads of this story rolling, then we'll really get going) Isis Aurora Tomoe (this is not an episode of Lost, there will actually be explanation, but it's going to unravel slowly, so stick with me!) astra kelly (updating again, sorry!) Butterfle (some answers to your questions here, hope you like!) lija (more suspense, don't die on me!) restingcloud (just a little update, but I'll be getting more up when I can.) To everyone else reading but not reviewing, love you too! Thanks, all!_

Michiru pounded up the stairs behind Haruka and Setsuna, vaguely aware that Galaxia still stood in their living room, watching with surprise as they raced by. They would handle the mystery of her appearance as soon as they knew what had become of their daughter.

_She's alright. She just slept through it…through the explosion and screaming…she's alright, she's alright,_ Michiru told herself as she saw Setsuna throw open the door.

The older woman stopped short, and Michiru's heart dropped.

"_Nani?_" Haruka demanded, pushing Setsuna aside to peer into the room. The color stole from her cheeks, and her eyes widened in horror. She opened her mouth, but could not seem to find any words.

"_Nani?_" Michiru echoed, catching up to them both. "What is it? What's wrong? _Hotaru!_"

For a moment, she, too, was frozen in shock. There, in the center of the room lay a figure in a white and purple Senshi uniform. The tiny body, barely more than a child's, was curved into a fetal position, wrapped around a long, sinisterly sharp weapon.

A weapon embedded in her chest.

"_Iie,_" Michiru whispered, slowly shaking her head.

"I don't…" Haruka looked quickly to Setsuna, then back at the horrific scene before them. "I don't understand. The Silence Glaive…how—?"

"HOTARU!"

Michiru threw herself past the other two women, falling to her knees beside the little girl. She reached out with shaking hands and brushed black hair from a pale cheek. Her fingers found flesh, and she began to sob.

"She's cold! Why is she so cold?!? What's happened to her?!? _Hotaru!_ HOTARU!"

"Michiru!" Haruka cried, rushing up behind her. "_Iie,_ love, don't!"

Hands grasped Michiru's wrists as she tried to turn Hotaru over. She fought wildly, barely recognizing her lover's anguished voice as she thrashed.

"Let me touch her! _Let me touch her! Our baby, our baby!"_ Michiru shrieked. "Let go of me, Haruka, let me go! Let me touch my Hotaru!"

Setsuna dropped down on the other side of Hotaru, staring at Michiru as though she had never seen her before. Michiru did not care what they thought, what anyone thought, she just needed to touch Hotaru, to hold her daughter. Haruka pulled her back, wrapping arms around the struggling body to try and keep her still.

"Michiru, you can't, we shouldn't move her—!" Haruka pled, to no avail.

Setsuna finally tore her eyes from her friend, and looked down at Hotaru's still form. Her eyebrows rose sharply, and she gasped.

"I think she's—"

"Don't you dare say she's dead!" Michiru screamed, shaking her head wildly. She felt her aquamarine hair flying about her, tears falling hard and fast. She tried to claw at the hands holding her, to break free. She knew if she could touch Hotaru, she could make everything alright, just so long as Setsuna did not say those awful words. "She's not dead, she's going to be fine, just let me go!"

"She's not dead!" Setsuna shouted over her.

Michiru stopped struggling so suddenly Haruka almost tipped over. Her heart, which had seemed to stop, leapt back into action, thundering against her ribs as she looked to Setsuna.

"She's not dead," the older woman said again. "She's…she's not even bleeding. I don't understand it. I think…_hai,_ she's breathing. She's just unconscious."

"She is?!?" Haruka whispered, her voice weak with relief. "Oh, blessed winds of Uranus, thank you!"

The hold on Michiru slackened, and she managed to rip herself free. She nearly fell onto the little, frighteningly still body. Her hands went again to Hotaru's face, which still felt like ice under her fingers. Then she grasped her daughter's shoulder, and began to roll her over.

"Michiru, stop!" Setsuna shouted.

As the Silence Glaive was jarred, a small circle of dark red began to form around the blade. Michiru immediately stopped, and so did the blood.

"We can't move her!" Haruka whispered. "Here, love, lay her back down!"

Michiru was left with nothing to do but crouch over the child's motionless form, stroking her hair as her own tears fell onto Hotaru's cheeks.

"We can't just leave her like this," she moaned. "She looks so small…she looks…why is the Glaive…Setsuna, what's happened to her?"

"I don't know. I don't…understand any of it. Only Sailor Saturn can wield the Silence Glaive. But Hotaru wouldn't have stabbed herself. It doesn't make sense!" the Time Keeper cried. Michiru glanced up to see tears streaking down Setsuna's cheeks as well.

"What are we going to do?" Haruka asked. "Our little girl…"

"What's happened?!?"

All three women swung around in surprise at the sound of the voice from the doorway. Galaxia stood there, leaning against the door's frame, tired and pale as she stared down at Hotaru. She, like Michiru and Haruka, looked to Setsuna.

"How is that possible?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Setsuna shouted, slamming both her fists down on her knees. Michiru saw Haruka start back in surprise, and felt even her own eyes widen. "I don't know what's happened, why are you all looking to me, how should I know?!?"

Galaxia swept further into the room, her pale dress brushing over the lavender carpet. She came behind Setsuna, and dropped her hands onto the other woman's heaving shoulders. Her face, once so cruel and cold, was filled with deep sympathy.

"I didn't mean to…you're the oldest, I thought if anyone would know you would," she explained softly.

"Well, I don't," Setsuna muttered, wiping at her eyes. "Nothing is making any sense. What are you even doing here?"

"You don't think the Abyss is just threatening Earth, do you?"

All three Outer Senshi again turned to stare at her in alarm. Galaxia returned their gaze with raised eyebrows and a slight frown.

"It's everywhere! It's threatening everything! I thought surely you knew."

"_Iie,_" Haruka said slowly. "But…why are _you_ here?"

"I…I have no home. Not the way you do. I've been traveling, warning as many of the Senshi in the galaxy as I could, letting them know what's coming, as best as I can. This is too much for any of us alone, even with the power that Sailor Moon was exhibiting just now."

"So what do you propose we do?" Setsuna asked.

Michiru gave them only half her attention as she leaned over Hotaru again, examining where the blade had entered her chest as she continued to stroke the soft black hair.

"In the war against Chaos, the Sailor Senshi fought it from their own stars, their own homes," Galaxia said. "But Chaos was _finished_ when the Sailor Starlights joined you here. That is why I think the best thing would be to gather the Senshi, as many as we can, into one place."

"Are you saying…Are we talking about another round of the Sailor Wars?" Setsuna asked, her voice trembling with shock.

"That's exactly what we're talking about," Galaxia told them all.

"As many Sailor Senshi as we can find…" Setsuna said slowly. "That will take months, maybe years! And where will we make our stand? What you're talking about is…well, it's not impossible, but it will be damned difficult!"

"_Hai,_" Galaxia agreed simply. "That's why I'm here. I need your help."

"You mean, you need Usagi's help," Setsuna corrected her.

"_Iie._ Yours. You're the eldest Sailor Senshi of this system, and well known, and respected amongst the other systems. I need _your_ help, Sailor Pluto."

"You want me to help you recruit other Senshi?!?" Setsuna cried. "But…how am I well known amongst other systems?!?"

"You're not going to other systems!" Michiru broke in sharply, glaring up from under her aquamarine bangs. "You're not going anywhere until we help Hotaru!"

"_Nani?_ Of course not!" Setsuna looked over her shoulder to Galaxia. "I can't leave until we do something about our…Sailor Saturn, I mean."

Michiru nodded firmly, and returned her attention to the littlest Sailor Senshi. "So, Galaxia, if you want our help, I suggest you help us."

The tall woman moved to kneel beside Setsuna, and she, too, studied where the blade had entered Hotaru's body.

"I've never seen anything like it. It's obviously her weapon that is keeping her trapped here, unconscious but alive. What is it afraid she will do if she can move, I wonder?"

"_Nani?!?_" Haruka cried yet again in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there has to be a reason she is not allowed to move," Galaxia said in a reasonable voice. "So either there is something someone is afraid she'll do, or something she might say."

"No one but Hotaru can wield the Glaive, though," Haruka said again. "That's right, isn't it, Setsuna?"

"I…I thought so."

"Where does it come from, this Glaive?" Galaxia asked.

"I don't know. That's strange." Setsuna frowned. "Why don't I know that?"

"It seems to me there is a lot we don't know," Haruka growled softly. "When they find Usagi, she is going to answer some questions, damn it!"

"What if she doesn't know?" Michiru whispered. "What then?"

"Amaterasu."

Haruka, Michiru, and Galaxia all looked over at Setsuna, whose face was set with purpose.

"We invoke the goddess, and by all the power of Selenity, we will get some answers!"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: We know they aren't mine, but couldn't we pretend?

A/N: Ah...gomen. Again. On my behalf, though, I've had sporadic internet at best, and my muse, well, we've worked things out and she's finally come home. So thank you if you're still reading this, and we are actually moving the plot forward! Thanks go to Lysia Croft (yes new Senshi, yes envoking goddess, Glaive will be explained by the last people you would expect, and Usagi is MIA for the time being) Bin82501 (I am so sorry for how long it took!) michelle (oh, I hope you come back!) Isis Aurora Tomoe ( the only thing I can answer is whether or not Setsuna ends up with a Senshi...sort of ;-)) lija (again, Usagi is missing for the moment, but she has picked up a companion, and Michiru always seemed like the maternal one, you know? Setsuna is badly shaken right now, and there will be a gathering, but our focus is mainly on who we have now, because they deserve it, moving back to a steady internet source this weekend) astra-kelly (thanks for all your help, I decided to post the goddess without a beta, so I hope you like her!) Butterfle (yes, Amaterasu is the Shinto Sun Goddess, and Hotaru is about to find out even more secrets) Through Darkness and Light (once you get into the Abyss it is definitely horror, glad you like it) sailorashes (trying not to drag this out, my muse is back in gear and rearing to work on this and Silk and Steel, so more soon!) twilightm00n (I hope it lives up to Out of the Abyss and your expectations) and astra-kelly, one more time. Special thanks to darkjewel79 for nearly 25 years of listening to all my story ideas!

Body aching with fatigue, head spinning with confusion, Rei allowed Jadeite to lead her back through the door of the Outer Senshi's house. Just ahead of her, Kunzite tripped over the door frame, and almost fell. Mamoru, whose arm was firmly in the Shitennou's grip, stumbled as well.

After hours of scoring the city in search of Usagi, the eight guardians admitted defeat. Their Princess had hidden well, and refused to reveal herself. Mamoru argued hotly with them all, announcing his intention to look on alone. Several minutes of shouting followed. Kunzite at last over powered him with the simple knowledge that he must rest, or would be useless to his beloved.

Rei raised her head slightly as they all shuffled into the living room, and felt her heart drop even further, a thing she would not have thought possible. The loveseat alone had been righted. In the center sat Setsuna, her face buried in her hands, the curtains of her unbound hair cascading down around her. Galaxia looked up as they entered, but remained seated beside Setsuna, her hand lying lightly on top of the Time Keeper's.

"Where is Sailor Moon?" the ancient Senshi asked, straightening in alarm.

"We don't know," Ami admitted. Her voice cracked with weariness and tears as she dashed a hand across her cheek, chasing away the last lingering vestige of wetness. "We couldn't find her. Setsuna, what's wrong?"

"What happened to Hotaru?" Makoto asked fearfully.

"She…I don't know. She's been stabbed."

"_NANI?!?_" eight voices shouted in shock, and even Mamoru turned his full attention upon Setsuna's drawn face as she at last looked up.

"With the Silence Glaive. I don't know how that's possible, so please don't ask me. I just know that she has a blade in her chest, and she won't open her eyes."

"Oh, blessed Sol," Zoisite whispered, "she isn't…?"

"_Iie._ She's breathing. She's not even bleeding, unless you touch the Glaive. But she hears nothing, says nothing…She's transformed, but we can't find her wand…"

Minako looked slowly around the room. "Haruka? Michiru?"

"Neptune won't leave Saturn, and Uranus won't leave Neptune," Galaxia said softly. "Setsuna thought it best to have someone here to answer questions before you saw…"

She gestured helplessly with her free hand.

Rei stumbled over to the chair she had shared so recently with Jadeite in those few, blissful hours. She turned it back upright, then collapsed onto the cushion. A moment later, Jadeite sat carefully on the arm, and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"What's happening?" Rei whispered into his shirt. "Galaxia, why are you here?"

Again, the most powerful of Senshi explained her purpose in visiting Earth. Everyone regarded Setsuna in surprise, but the older girl did nothing but give a weary sigh.

"So…are you going?" Kunzite asked.

"_Iie._ Not until something can be done with Hotaru." Setsuna ran a distracted hand over her hair. "I can't leave her like this. For that matter, I can't leave Michiru in the state _she's_ in."

"It will be alright," Galaxia whispered, tightening her grip on Setsuna's other hand. "You said that even without Sailor Moon, there may be a chance for answers."

"What about you?" Mamoru demanded suddenly, his voice harsh with anger. "You just come here, tell us the Abyss is attacking everywhere, and then demand one of our Senshi! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Mamoru!" Minako cried in surprise.

"Your duty is to your Princess!" he snapped at Setsuna, ignoring the interruption. "You are supposed to protect her, not run off in her moment of need!"

"Endymion," Nephrite breathed.

Red eyes flashing, Setsuna surged to her feet. "I have spent _millennia_ serving the Moon Kingdom! How dare you suggest—?"

"Setsuna, he didn't mean it like that!" Ami whispered pleadingly.

"How dare you think of abandoning your duty?" Mamoru shouted over her. "How can you—?"

"We are looking at the annihilation of all life in the galaxy, if not the universe!" Setsuna yelled right back. "Something has to be done! There is more going on here than just Usagi!"

"Not to me!"

"What kind of a King does that make you?"

Rei felt her jaw slowly lowering. Never had she heard Setsuna speak to Mamoru in any manner other than respectful, and often affectionate. Now it looked very much as though the two might come to blows.

"It isn't your place to tell me what kind of King, or husband, to be!"

"If it isn't the place of the Senshi, than whose place is it?!?"

"It is ours," Kunzite interrupted, his voice ice cold. As Setsuna swung around, her mouth opening to tell him just where he could put his place, he turned on his Prince. "And Sailor Pluto is correct. Part of her duty _to her Princess_ is to protect the solar system from outside attack. She is fulfilling that duty. As for Galaxia-sama…Well, I'm afraid, madam, you will have to defend yourself."

"My duty is to all Senshi, and their home worlds, and their people," Galaxia said patiently. "However, after…everything that happened, it will be difficult to make the other Senshi look beyond the past to the present problem."

"You mean because you tried to destroy all those worlds and enslaved nearly a dozen Sailor Senshi?" Rei clarified.

"Well…yes."

"Really?" Jadeite muttered, eying Galaxia uncertainly. "Do you need Setsuna to make the others listen to you, or to protect you?"

"I can protect myself," Galaxia said, voice stiff with pride. "I apologize, Prince Endymion, for taking Setsuna away at this time—"

"You aren't taking Setsuna anywhere until we help Hotaru," Rei reminded them all. "And as much as Setsuna is right about her duty to protect us from outside attacks, there really isn't any point to trying to rally the Senshi without having a clue what exactly is going on. Meanwhile, we need to understand what is happening to Usagi, and what she's hiding. So it all comes back to…"

"Answers," the rest of the Inner Senshi and Shittenou all chorused.

"So then, are we going to do it?" Makoto asked softly. "Are we really going to invoke the sun goddess?"

"Looks like," Rei said.

"We are?" Jadeite muttered in surprise. "When did we decide this?"

"Smile and nod, love, smile and nod."

"How are we going to do that?" Mamoru asked.

"I have some books, and I have a pretty good notion of how it's done," Rei said. "But I'll need help."

"What do you need?" Mamoru demanded. Rei was somewhat alarmed by the almost maniacal light in his eyes, as he grasped at the only hope he could see.

"Well, we're going to need a temple, which we, uh, have, of course. Then we're going to need a mirror."

"Doesn't your temple have one?" Ami asked.

"_Hai._ Most do. From you all I just need strength. I don't think I can channel all the power of a goddess alone."

"Channel?" Jadeite interjected. "Wait, what exactly does channel mean?"

"Her power goes through me, and then she manifests herself," Rei explained. "What I need most right now is…Michiru."

"Michiru?" Setsuna muttered. "You need to talk to her?"

"_Iie._ I'm going to need her at the ceremony."

"Unless you plan on holding it in Hotaru's bedroom, that might be a problem," Nephrite said. "Setsuna said she won't leave her."

"That's why I need all your help," Rei said.

"You say you need the help of all your friends?" Galaxia interrupted, her face thoughtful. "What if I stay with the little girl? I can protect her from any more harm, and if she should awaken, I will be here to calm her and help her."

"Would Michiru agree to that?" Kunzite asked.

"We have to get her to agree to that," Rei said. "Michiru absolutely must be there. Without her, we have no hope."


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: Not mine, but can't we pretend they are?_

_A/N: The goddess arrives! The song Michiru plays does have lyrics, in case you have forgotten, written by the very talented IssaLee for Out of the Abyss. As for Amaterasu's song, I was listening to Kagome and Inuyasha's theme from Inuyasha, and the vocals during that are pretty much what I had in mind. Enjoy._

"_This_ is why I absolutely had to be here?"

Jadeite looked up from the book he was studying intently. Several feet to his right, Michiru eyed the object before her with uncertainty.

"_This_ is why I had to leave Hotaru with a stranger who used to be an enemy?"

"Of course," Rei said, her focus instead on the correct placement of a large bronze mirror. "No one else could perform this part."

"You need me to play the koto?"

The simple stringed instrument lay in one corner of the room, Michiru kneeling beside it, her brow furrowed. Jadeite again consulted the text in his hands. He nodded.

"It does look like there needs to be a koto," he said in Rei's defense.

"But why do _I_ have to play it?" Michiru argued.

"Because you're a musician?" Jadeite guessed with a little shrug.

The turquoise eyes narrowed upon his face. "I am also a mother, who should be with her child. Besides, I've never played a koto in my life. Or my last life. I don't think I did."

"Well, none of us have," Rei said. "But you can play any stringed instrument that's put in front of you."

Michiru did not appear appeased. "I should be at home with Hotaru. If she wakes up with no one but that…woman there—"

"I need everyone here for this to work," Rei interrupted sharply. "I'm already attempting this without Usagi and Hotaru, I have to have you here! Besides, this may very well do more to help Hotaru than just sitting and staring at her on the floor!"

The older girl flushed, her expression both mutinous and frightened at the same time.

Rei sighed and gestured apologetically with one hand. "I know you're worried about her, Michiru. I know how much you love Hotaru, I do. But please, I _need_ you to do this for me!"

After a long moment, Michiru nodded, her jaw relaxing slightly, but her eyes still flaming. "Alright, Rei, I'll…I'll do my best."

"_Arigatou._"

"Why precisely do we need a koto?" Kunzite asked, his head appearing around the corner of the door opened upon the temple's courtyard.

"Because when the goddess Amaterasu hid herself away, after her brother insulted her, the gods played music and held a big party to coax her out of the cave," Jadeite explained. "It's all in the book. Look, there's a picture!"

"Never mind the picture," Rei hissed. "Is Grandpa still asleep?"

"Like a rock," Nephrite's voice called from somewhere beyond Kunzite.

"What did you give him?" Michiru asked as she reluctantly slid the picks onto her first two fingers.

"Something from Ami's mother's bag," Kunzite muttered. "Ami was very careful not to give him too much. She thinks he'll be asleep for at least two more hours."

Haruka moved past him into the room and went to Michiru, her mouth pulled into a little frown. "Why did we have to drug your grandfather?"

"Because I doubt he would be happy to see me attempting to invoke a goddess," Rei explained. "In fact, I'm pretty sure he would try to stop me."

Jadeite felt another surge of uncertainty. "Why would he try to stop you? This is safe, right?"

She shrugged without looking at him. "Define 'safe'."

"Rei…"

"Well, the amount of power a being of Amaterasu's magnitude can manifest could be a little unstable," the _miko_ admitted. She raised her deep violet eyes to his and smiled mischievously. "Don't you think I can handle it?"

"Can you?" he whispered.

Rei's smile faltered, but only for a second. She rose from the mirror and went to him, stretching out her hand. He took it and held it tight.

"I can do this, Jadeite. I channel huge amounts of power on a regular basis. How do you think Senshi attacks work?"

"You don't fool me, Rei," Jadeite said softly. "Planet power is nothing next to the power of a star."

"Well, not nothing…" She glared at him, slightly miffed.

"You shouldn't do this," he told her.

"I have to. None of the others know how."

"_You_ don't know how!"

"I know better than any of them."

"You're crazy."

"Isn't that why you love me?"

He released her hand, but only so he could cup her cheek gently.

"One of the many, many reasons."

Rei blinked, then smiled a real smile, with no bravado. She was frightened. He could see it in her beautiful eyes. But she was also determined to see this through, and to take the danger so no one else would have to.

"I do love you, Rei."

She blinked rapidly, and he thought for a second he saw tears glistening on her lashes.

"I never doubted," she whispered, squeezing his wrist lightly.

"_Hai_, you did," he reminded her gently.

She nodded grudgingly. "But I never will again."

"_Ano,_ guys?"

The two looked around to see Michiru, Haruka, and Kunzite staring with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Ah…hey, there," Jadeite muttered. Rei turned away to continue fussing with the mirror, the back of her neck bright pink.

"I understand the koto," Kunzite continued, "now, explain the mirror."

"The sacred mirror in the shrine of Ise is the physical representation of the goddess Amaterasu," Ami's voice called from nearby. "But most shrines have one. Since we can't take the one from Ise, as that would be stealing a national and religious treasure, we're using this one."

"Oh." Kunzite eyed the mirror with severe misgiving, then turned away. "How's the koto coming, Michiru?"

"I think I have it worked out," she said. "But what do I play?"

"Something that would coax out a sun deity," Rei suggested. "You know more music than any of us, you'll think of something."

"These are not very precise instructions, Rei," Zoisite said, his head popping up beside Kunzite's. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Do you have a better way of invoking a goddess?" Jadeite demanded.

"_Iie._"

"Then let the woman do her thing."

Rei flashed him a smile both sweet and mischievous at the same time. "_Arigatou,_ love. Alright, I really don't think I can mess with this mirror anymore. We're as ready as we're going to be. Zoisite, do you want to get everyone in here?"

"Sure thing." The golden head disappeared. A moment later, they all heard his voice shouting, "Hey, guys! We gonna invoke this goddess or what?"

"At least he's keeping the moment properly somber," Jadeite noted. He glanced around the room and sighed. "I guess this is it."

While Rei managed to distract her grandfather, the four Shitennou had crept up the steps, into the temple, and swarmed over the room she usually used for meditation. They were under orders not to even think of touching her sacred fire. Otherwise, they attacked with yards of silk, transforming the room into a proper reception chamber for a goddess. Pink and gold draped the walls, and white covered the floor. Only Haruka had made the mistake of entering with her shoes on, which led to a level of screaming that should never be heard from four men.

After Ami's "special" tea had taken effect, Nephrite and Zoisite carried Rei's tiny grandfather to his bedroom. Makoto and Haruka appeared outside with one of the strangely shaped wooden structures of the temple, which the book he held described as a _torii._ The curved top and delicately carved legs made up what, according to legend, was supposed to be a bird perch. The last to arrive, Minako earned several raised eyebrows when she strolled into the temple grounds carrying a small wooden cage, which she set down beside the _torii_ with a strange grimace. Setsuna opened this, and pulled forth a small and rather frightened-looking rooster. The girls gathered to hold a whispering huddle, and at last a small length of golden silk was cut free, and used to tie the alarmed bird gently onto the perch. After several minutes of argumentative squawking, and Makoto whispering to it soothingly, the rooster seemed to decide it was not about to become someone's dinner, and seemed resigned, if not content, to remain upon the perch. Jadeite saw Kunzite point at the bird, open his mouth, then shake his head as he decided to ask no more questions.

The rest of the preparations were simple: the temple's plain mirror stood reflecting the sun as it climbed higher into the eastern sky, and Michiru's koto was placed loving in the corner. Rei ordered all the girls, and Zoisite, to unbind their hair. There had been a great deal of debate the night before about what the group should wear; finally, it was decided that they should each come in the colors of their planets. The five men wore shirts of deep blue, as befitted the guardians of Earth. All the girls, even Haruka, wore long, demure dresses, except Rei herself, who wore the white _haori _and red _hakama_ of a _miko._ With her black hair dancing around her, Jadeite thought she looked even more beautiful than usual.

Responding to Zoisite's call, the remaining Senshi and Shitennou shuffled in, with Mamoru bringing up the rear. He began to slide the door closed, but a gesture from Rei stopped him. All together, the group turned to look at the suddenly quiet priestess.

"Okay," Rei said, her voice shaking slightly, "um, I need you all to get into position. I mean, Mercury first, then Venus, then, well, Mamoru, and so on. Make a circle around the room. Michiru, you should be fine there."

Glancing to each other, the group began to edge its way into the formation she wanted. There was some confusion over where the Shitennou should stand, but at last they moved to flank their Prince. As Rei had intended, Michiru sat in exactly the right position around the room.

"Actually, Jadeite, I need you to get between Mamoru and Makoto," Rei ordered. "I have to be in the center, so you'll have to stand for Mars. And…oh, boy. Kunzite, can you stand in for Hotaru?"

"While I'm honored, sweetie, and I'm sure Kunzite is too, will the goddess accept that?" Jadeite asked, even as he did as he was told.

"I hope so," she muttered. "This is going to be simple, folks. Just focus on your planet powers. Except you, Kunzite, focus on Saturn, and you, Jadeite, you need to focus on Mars."

"Not going to be a problem," he assured her.

"Focus on the planet, young man, not the legs," Haruka hissed.

"Might be a bit of a problem."  
"And I need you all to be serious!" Rei snapped. "I've never even thought of doing something this vast. We have to focus, all of us! Think past the planet, and into what the power of the planet means. Kunzite, for you, I need you to think of not only death, but the rebirth as well. Think of life, and how fragile it is, and how strong at the same time. Jadeite…you know what to focus on."

"What are you going to be doing?" Michiru asked as she plucked a few strings distractedly.

"What _miko_ do best. I'm going to be praying."

"Just…praying?" Mamoru asked slowly. "Is there a particular prayer to…?"

"Invoke an all-powerful deity? There might be, but I'm just going to go with my gut here."

"Is she serious?" Minako whispered, wide-eyed and uncertain.

"The other thing I need from you all is to _believe_ in me," Rei said, pointing to each of them in turn. "I need you to believe I can do this, to believe _we_ can do this. Otherwise the goddess will not believe in us, and we will be left with _nothing._ Do you all understand me?"

Slowly and solemnly, the entire group nodded.

"Okay," Rei said again. "Here we go. Michiru, why don't you start?"

The older girl jumped slightly in surprise, then turned to frown down at the koto. After a moment, she placed her fingers on the instrument, and began to pluck a sad, beautiful tone. Jadeite knew, as wistful sweetness began to fill him, that he had heard this song before. Glancing around at the others, he saw their eyes shimmering with sympathetic tears, yet little smiles on their faces.

_Where have I heard…oh. Oh, yes. Inanna._

Michiru, her face tender, continued to draw from the koto the sad song of the dead star, the song Inanna sang to lure Usagi to her so many months ago. He did not remember the words, words of her children and her loss, but he remembered the way her sorrow crippled them, bringing all the warriors to their knees. All but one. Usagi alone had walked through the pain, walked right up to the star and touched her. Now Jadeite grasped at the notes of the song, ticking his gaze away from the _miko_ standing before them, in the pool of light reflected from the mirror. Instead he focused his eyes on the fire crackling to one side, the red and the gold of the flames twisting and caressing each other, only to dip and fling each other away.

_Hai…that is Mars. Fire, bright and wild and so powerful it cannot be stopped…So beautiful you never want it to stop, even if it devours you, you'll give her your heart and your soul just to be near the beauty and the chaos, and love every minute of the hell she sucks you into…Because a second later she'll be offering you a burning paradise in one tiny caress…_

He closed his eyes, and in his mind, the vision of a brilliant red jewel of a planet danced closer, becoming more and more solid. Yet behind it, or perhaps over top, he saw burning, beautiful violet eyes, alight with passion and fury and tenderness as she cut him down.

_The most blissful of hells, to die in her arms again…_

Jadeite breathed deep, and felt the warm air of the room fill him up. A sweet scent moved inside him, tickling his nose, bringing up visions of safety, and the feel of a mother's arms wrapped close around him. He pulled more into his lungs. Sweet, but soft, like flowers and honey all together.

_Iie…jasmine. It smells of jasmine. Jasmine on the wind…but…there is no jasmine around the temple…_

This finally broke though his thoughts on Mars, and all it meant, to him, to the solar system, to everything. Then he began to hear it. It moved through the room, a sound unlike any instrument. Like a breeze, it wound through them, felt as much as heard, the very air caressing them with sound. It washed over them, dove deep into them, in a way that Inanna's could not. Because this was the sound of home, of warmth and comfort and everything they loved. Jadeite felt his lips turn up a second before he realized what he heard.

A voice sang a song without words, a song both with Michiru's playing, and yet a song all its own.

Suddenly Jadeite did not think he could open his eyes even if he wanted to. The air felt soft and warm, that amazing feeling just before one opens their eyes on a new day, as the sun kisses the eyelids and whispers promises of the future. Yet he did not feel heavy with sleep, but light, as though he could drift away, out into the planets and stars, out into everything.

Then Rei gasped, and his eyes snapped open.

For a moment she stood facing them, eyes closed, looking beautiful but mortal. As he watched, he saw her hair lifting, moved not by wind, but the song. The sunlight shimmered around her, brightening along the lines of her face, and the highlights of her hair. The white of her _haori_ was bathed in a golden brilliance that dazzled the eye for a second. Jadeite blinked as the sunlight moved of its own accord, swirling to form curtains like gold gauze. Rei's hair rose over her head, twisting together until it became a soft knot held by nothing. The gauze settled gently around her, forming a sort of robe, neither a kimono nor a dress. Still, the garb of the _miko_ could be seen underneath.

Then Rei opened her eyes, and the entire room let out a breath of shock and awe.

Jadeite saw no violet in her eyes, only pure, golden light.

"_Konichiwa,_ children," the goddess Amaterasu whispered with Rei's lips, and the voice of the song still singing in the air. "You have questions for me?"


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: Not mine, but can't we pretend they are?_

_A/N: See, Luna and Artemis are not dead. Some most unexpected arrivals, too…_

Luna and Artemis stretched out on either side of Galaxia, all three mournful gazes fixed on the tiny figure of Hotaru in the center of the room. After more than twelve hours the girl lay still, the only movement the slight rise and fall of her chest. It appeared so strange, as though she were merely sleeping, with her own wicked weapon buried deep into her chest.

_My Queen, my Queen, we need you now more than ever!_ Luna cried from her heart.

Again, there came no answer.

_How could you leave us now, when your daughter needs you most? We all need you…_

"This Silence Glaive," Galaxia murmured, startling both felines from their pensive silence. "Do either of _you_ know where it came from?"

Luna craned her head around to peer at Artemis, and saw an answering look of surprise.

"_Iie,_ Galaxia-sama," she said slowly. She eyed the ancient Sailor Senshi warily, though with more hope than she would have felt just months before. As the Shitennou had amply shown, a former enemy could make an excellent ally once darkness was chased from their hearts. Luna hoped the darkness had, in fact, been chased out.

"In our time, during the Silver Millennium, no one talked about Saturn," Artemis explained. "I don't just mean Sailor Saturn, I mean we didn't even say the planet's name. It was supposed to be bad luck."

"Sailor Saturn was never supposed to be awakened," Luna added. "It wasn't until the war…"

She trailed off, but Galaxia did not seem to be listening. She bit her lip as she watched Hotaru, her eyes narrowing in thought. Suddenly, she rose from the bed, and moved quickly to the sleeping child's side. She knelt down, her hand hovering less than an inch above the handle of the Glaive.

"What are you doing?!?" Luna shouted in alarm, lunging to her feet. "Don't do that!"

"You could hurt—!"

Galaxia cut Artemis off with an imperious wave. "I'm not going to touch it. I'm just trying to sense the child's spirit."

"Can you…do that?" Luna asked.

"I should be able to. But it is strange…"

Galaxia frowned, and moved her other hand to the height of the first, though this one lingered in the air above Hotaru's forehead. Her fingers flexed, as though pushing against something. She drew in a deep breath, and leaned slightly closer.

"What's strange?" Artemis demanded, unable to wait any more.

"There is a spirit here," she moved the hand over Hotaru's face, "and then something like a spirit…here."

Both cats stared at the hand over the Silence Glaive, then at each other.

"I don't understand," Luna said slowly. "The Silence Glaive is a weapon. It channels Sailor Saturn's power, nothing more."

"Do the other Sailor Senshi have weapons like this?" Galaxia asked.

"Well, Uranus has a sword," Artemis muttered, "which is a weapon, but it's also a talisman."

"A what?" Galaxia finally looked up from Hotaru, her frown deepening.

Luna waved a paw helplessly. "A talisman. Each of the three Sailor Senshi of the outermost planets holds a talisman of great power within their own hearts, which, together, could be used to summon the Holy Grail which Sailor Moon used to…should I be telling you this?"

"A Holy what?"

"A Grail. It's a, um, cup," Artemis explained. "Sort of."

"A cup," Galaxia repeated carefully, as though testing the word. "What does it hold?"

"Uh…nothing," Luna admitted with a little shrug.

"Then, what is its purpose?"

"That is actually a very good question," Artemis said, pointing at her with his tail. "What is the point of the Grail?"

Luna slowly turned her head, and hit him with a narrow glare.

"The _point_ of the Grail is not what it holds, Artemis," she growled from between clenched fangs, "but the purity of the power it channels for Sailor Moon."

"So you have a Grail," Galaxia said, bringing her hands in front of her to count on her fingers, "three talismans, a Silence Glaive, and that odd stick that Sailor Moon tends to wave around."

"It's a _scepter,_" Luna hissed.

"Are your Senshi incapable of merely channeling their planet powers into an attack?" Galaxia demanded. "That is what the other Sailor Senshi do, you know."

"While we are not competing with the other Sailor Senshi of the galaxy, and do not care what they use," Luna said loftily, "I would like to remind you that the Sailor Starlights also used objects to transform."

"Yes, well, the Sailor Starlights are not precisely the Senshi that you should hold yourself up to emulate," the lovely Sailor Soldier muttered with a little smirk. "Their world fell faster than any other, and the only reason they survived as long as they did was your Senshi's determination to keep them alive."

"And yet they still managed to evade your clutches, which other Senshi very easily fell into," Luna snapped, eyes narrowing further.

Galaxia pushed her brilliant hair over one shoulder and looked back down at Hotaru, her lips slightly pinched. "There's no need to get snippy."

"I just don't think that _your_ ability to overrun a planet while under the power of Chaos should influence _our_ opinion of others," Luna said as she lifted her chin. "And you used a sword."

"So did Sailor Moon."

"You used bracelets."

"She uses a stick."

"SCEPTER!"

"Whatever."

"You pulled out your own star seed."

"I did that to protect the galaxy!"

"Oh, well done there."

From the corner of her eye, Luna could see Artemis's head moving back and forth to follow the two women's words, his eyes slowly widening. She knew with every word her voice became more childish. She knew that the ancient creature before her, the only Senshi in the galaxy older than the Keeper of Time herself, was beginning to look like she might reach up and start pulling on ears and whiskers while shouting, "Did not, did not, did not!" Yet she, the royal advisor to the Princess of the Silver Millennium, could not seem to stop herself.

"You decimated hundreds of planets," Luna reminded Galaxia, "and ripped out just as many star seeds."

"I maintain that Chaos did that," Galaxia ground out around her teeth. "As my star seed was floating about the galaxy looking for anyone who could help to return order to Chaos, I was a little…incapable of stopping myself."

"That's all very well, Galaxia-sama—"

"Galaxia-sama!"

Cat and Senshi froze, blue eyes locked with scarlet. Each blinked at the other, confirming that neither, in fact, had spoken. A mutual glance towards Artemis showed he, too, looked extremely befuddled. Together, the three looked slowly around the room, trying to find the source of that childish voice.

"Galaxia-sama! Galaxia-sama!"

Two feline heads, and one human, turned towards the door as a large, round, black object bounced into the room.

Galaxia rose swiftly to her feet.

"What in the—?"

On the third bounce, the black ball began to spray a thick gray smoke into the air.

"Look out!" Luna shouted.

Barely had the words left her mouth than Galaxia lunged forward, catching up the skirt of her white gown in both hands. She yanked the hem up to reveal two little feet in simple white slippers. The right foot was pulled back, and delivered a hard kick to the ball, sending it flying back into the hallway, smoke soaring behind it.

"Ah!"

"Look out!"

"Oh, she thinks so, does she?"

"_Nani?_ Wait, Pallas, don't!"

A second round object bounced through the door, this one much smaller. Just as Galaxia prepared to treat this one to the same handling as the first, Luna recognized it for what it was: a black billiard ball.

"_Iie,_ Galaxia-sama, don't!"

Her foot never connected.

The ball exploded, throwing Galaxia backwards onto the bed. Her head slammed against the wall with a dull thud. Luna saw her eyes open, but blinking at the ceiling, unfocused.

"Luna!" Artemis shouted.

Again, the large black ball bounced into the room. Luna cried out, lunging for the floor to get beneath the smoke. Even there, low to the ground, she found herself breathing in something sweet that made her head spin. She staggered against the side of the bed. From above her, Artemis let out a low groan, followed by a thump.

"I _said_ this was not the best way to handle this situation!" a frighteningly familiar voice shrieked.

Luna shook her head, trying to identify the speaker even as her legs gave out. She collapsed to the ground, watching as five pairs of feet raced into the room and to the side of the still unconscious Hotaru.

"Never mind that now," a crisp voice snapped, "just do it!"

A slender hand reached down through the smoke, and touched the purple gem in Hotaru's tiara. In a flash of gold light, it disappeared, leaving her smooth brow bare of anything accept her glowing planet symbol.

"Hold on," the first voice instructed through sudden coughs. "Vesta, the key!"

"Here it is!"

"On three!"

The room wavered, and Luna felt her eyes closing.

A flash of pink light, and then the room went blessedly silent and still.


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were._

_A/N: Well, a lot of things have been happening, not that many good, but at the end of the month yra is off to an anime convention! HOPEFULLY that will really spark my creativity in this direction again. Until then, here is the meeting with the great goddess Amaterasu! It's a lot of dialogue, not much action, but gets some info out to you guys. Thanks go to Butterfle (yeah, Chibiusa has come to her friend's rescue, with her own little crew, will be amusing) Midnight (hope this helps some) Lysia Croft (Starlights will be coming back, as well as some new Senshi while Setsuna and Galaxia are doing their thing) Girl Who Writes (Mamoru sometimes needs to be yelled at, and who better than Setsuna? Bonus points for using "frelling", by the way! Ang yeah, Asteroids and Starlights and more are coming) Bin82501 (number one fan? awww! Glad you like this one, too!) InusAkane (Not a published author, but desperately working towards it. Thank you very much! Silk and Steel is on my list of to-do) lija (working on getting you your answers, and so are Chibiusa and her girls, sorry about the typo, good catch) sailorashes (I hope these chapters help you figure some stuff out) Isis Aurora Tomoe (no rabid bunnies, but there are mad chihuahuas. Yes, yes, Chibiusa is a big one for everybody.) astra-kelly (alright! alright! You win! here is your update! hope you like!) BleuFleur (always love and appreciate comprehensive, BIG reviews, they're what keep me going, and as the real big group breaks into smaller groups you will hopefully get to see more dialogue and action for each character, especially Galaxia interacting with the other Senshi in the galaxy and her...issues.) Thanks everybody!_

For many long moments, or perhaps hours, or merely a collection of heartbeats, the Senshi, Shitennou, and Prince stood and stared at the beautiful face of the goddess. Sweet, dazzling Amaterasu did not rush them, but gazed back with a tiny smile on her lips. Or perhaps Rei's lips.

Mamoru shook his head slightly, trying to chase away the odd double image of both the all-powerful avatar of a star, and the girl who was the closest he had ever come to a little sister. He had felt this before, when gazing at Eternal Sailor Moon, so beautiful and so strong, yet still, deep within, his bumbling, darling Usako. But this was different, not one soul with different appearances, but two souls within one body.

"Are we sure this is safe?"

The first to break the silence, Jadeite asked the last question any of them had expected. Mamoru could not tear his eyes away from the breathtaking creature before them, yet he heard his friend's voice trembling with uncertainty.

"The child is safe," Amaterasu promised. "She can still hear us, though she has lent me her mouth for just a little while." She paused, and cocked her head slightly, as though listening. "In fact, she is rather annoyed that you feel you must ask."

Jadeite sighed with relief. "Okay, she's fine."

The goddess gave a slight laugh. "Quite. Now, children, do not fear me. I would never harm you. Ask me anything. If I can answer it, I will, though I make no promises."

"Are there questions you can't answer?" Ami asked wonderingly.

"_Hai,_ for several reasons. I will do my best, though."

There was a shifting amongst them, and Mamoru finally managed to glance to the others. They all looked equally uncertain, as though none of them had believed this would really work. Now that they had the goddess, they did not know what to say.

"What's happening?" Minako blurted out. "With Usagi, or Sailor Moon, or Princess Serenity, or whatever _you_ call her."

"I know her by all those names," Amaterasu said. "But I'm afraid I don't understand your question. She's growing and maturing on many levels. Which part has you concerned?"

"The part that's directly linked to the Abyss," Setsuna said, taking over. "Do you know what the Abyss is?"

The golden eyes flared, nearly blinding for a second in their brilliance.

"_Hai,_" Amaterasu hissed, her fingers curling into fists, her voice no longer warm, but burning with rage. "I know what it is. It is evil."

"You know how it was made?" Haruka asked. "The Kings and Queens of this solar system tried to make a prison for evil—"

"I remember," she whispered, waving a hand to silence Haruka. She turned her head away slightly and closed her eyes. "How can I ever forget? My children…my darling children…"

A chill shot through Mamoru's heart as Amaterasu echoed Inanna's pained wails of so many months before.

_"My darling children…"_

"Their screams," the goddess moaned. The song twisting through the air became anguished, ripping at the heart and soul. "My darlings, how they screamed! But they were so far away…I could do nothing…My soul ached…I thought I would go mad, hearing them screaming and unable to do anything for them. They were terrified, and they were _in pain!_ It came at them so fast, all that darkness, all that evil, and they were screaming at one another, some to hold tighter, some to stop. And then…someone let go."

Amaterasu shook her head slowly.

"Then…what?" Minako demanded. "What happened?"

"That," Amaterasu whispered, "is the secret kept in Silence."

Mamoru again managed to tear his eyes away. The faces of the others were blank, uncertain…and they all turned towards their Prince.

"What the hell does that mean?" Mamoru answered. "Can't you break the silence?"

Those golden eyes opened and flashed to his face, pinning him with a look as fierce as it was tender.

"Why should I wish to do that?"

"Because we need to know!" he cried. "This world is getting turned upside down, and the Abyss is attacking Usagi without even needing to be near her, and what are you doing about it?!?"

"Mamoru!" Setsuna hissed, her face fixed in shock. "You can't…my lady, he doesn't mean to—"

"Always so angry," Amaterasu murmured thoughtfully. "Always so afraid. Your faces change, but the blood of Earth remains the same. She was curious, you know. Your ancestress, the first daughter of Earth. She dreamt of amazing things, beautiful things. But her patience was not as great as her hopes."

"How can I be patient when Usagi is alone, and terrified, and under attack?!?" Mamoru wailed.

"You love her," the star said. "Correct?"

"Of course."

"Then, my darling son, you must believe in her. She is walking her own path now, a path that is dangerous, perhaps even deadly. However, the rewards are…unimaginable."

"We can't just leave her alone!" Makoto cried. "Do you _know_ Usagi?!?"

"_Hai._ Do you?"

She was answered by several hanging jaws and eleven sets of blinking, startled eyes.

"She is strong. She will be stronger, but she needs your belief, as much as precious Mars did to give me a voice you could understand."

"Can you at least tell us what is happening to her?" Kunzite murmured. "Please, my lady, you must give us some hope!"

"She is moving forward, and yet back. She is grappling within herself, her mind and heart and soul, trying to control the ancient spark."

"The…ancient…spark," Ami repeated slowly. "And what is that, precisely?"

The golden gauze of her ethereal robes fluttered around her as Amaterasu gestured helplessly with both hands. "It is the…the last remnants of the flame that ignited in the center of the cosmic egg. The egg, filled with all that had ever been or would be, burst open, and spilled forth its light, and its darkness."

"Wait, are you talking about…creation?!?" Ami squeaked.

The light swirled faster, and the music increased, becoming far more agitated. "It was the beginning, but all that came forth was already created! The elements of everything are simple, but have very long memories. They remember the cracking of the egg, but the time before is chaos. Yet everything remembers, perhaps not in your minds but within your souls, the flame that allowed the egg to break, the flame that ignited in the very center of the egg."

"And Usagi is trying to find a way to control this…flame?" Haruka asked slowly.

"_Iie._ So much of the flame burnt out when the egg burst. All that is left is the tiniest spark."

"So how is a tiny spark going to help us?" Jadeite muttered.

"Well, I mean, we're speaking relatively here," Zoisite reminded them all. "A tiny spark of that particular flame would be…really damn useful."

"But wait, isn't that the kind of power that Galaxia would hold?" Zoisite asked. "I mean, she is a Sailor Senshi of the galaxy of sorts, isn't she?"

"She is not old enough to hold such power," Amaterasu interrupted him. "The last of the spark was lost, long before the Sailor Senshi went to war with Chaos."

Mamoru heard the frown in Nephrite's voice. "That seems like a really hard thing to lose. Where was it lost?"

"Within the Abyss."

It took a long moment before anyone could find their voices. At last, Setsuna whispered one word.

"How?"

Amaterasu held out both hands helplessly. "Someone let go."

"You mean," Mamoru said slowly, "you mean when our ancestors were creating the prison for evil?"

"_Hai._"

"Who let go?" he asked.

As with Inanna, the tears of the star were brilliant, like burning alabaster as they spilled from her eyes.

"You did."


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were_

Mamoru actually staggered under the words of the star. For a horrible moment, Minako was afraid he would break the circle. Yet Zoisite and Nephrite caught him, each seizing an arm, though gently, to steady him.

"I am sorry, my son," Amaterasu said softly. "I would not have told you, but would it have been better for you?"

Glancing at his wounded face, Minako wanted to scream back at the goddess, _Yes! Can't you see you're hurting him?!?_

She did not, though, because she knew the star was right.

"That's why Earth was shunned," Mamoru whispered slowly. "That's why we were forbidden to join the court of the Silver Millennium. They knew! _She_ knew! Queen Serenity! She _knew_!"

"She knew," Amaterasu agreed, "but she _alone_ knew. She was the last of the second generation. The other kings and queens belonged to the third, or the fourth, their parents having long gone to rest. Sweet Serenity, she was the last to find the man she could love, the man she could share a daughter with."

"She also shared her daughter with you," Setsuna reminded him gently. "Mamoru, do you think she didn't _know_? She knew the Princess had fallen in love with you, knew that her only child was sneaking down to Earth just to see you. She knew her heir was going to wed the Prince of Earth. She just didn't know it wouldn't happen until the Princess's next lifetime."

"My Serenity knew many things," Amaterasu agreed. "Many more than any of the other rulers."

"So…so the fact that it was the Queen of the Earth who broke the circle isn't the secret?" Minako interjected suddenly. "Then, what is?"

"What happened next," Amaterasu said simply.

"And that's one of those things you can't tell us," Minako guessed.

"It is not my secret to tell."

"Okay, let's look at this logically," Ami said. "Whose secret is it?"

"Silence."

Minako felt better when many other brows puckered in confusion.

"What does that—?"

"Silence," Michiru whispered, speaking for the first time since she put her fingers to the koto's strings. "The Senshi of Silence."

"Saturn?" Kunzite muttered.

"_Hai,_" Amaterasu said.

"Hotaru?" Haruka gasped.

"_Iie._"

"And…we're lost again," Jadeite announced. "Hotaru is Sailor Saturn. She is the Senshi of Silence. Right?"

"_Hai,_" Amaterasu said yet again. "Do not ask me to explain. The secret kept in Silence was done so for a reason. But have none of you ever wondered what, precisely, the title of the Senshi of Silence actually _means_?"

"I have!" Ami piped up, her hand flying hopefully into the air.

Amaterasu's lips quivered with a smile. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Darn." Her hand dropped back to her side.

Minako licked her lips, thinking hard. "Is this secret important?"

"Very. It will mean everything to you as you battle the darkness."

"Well, then, is there a way we can learn this secret?"

"Absolutely," Amaterasu said, her voice and smile proud.

"Can you tell us how to learn this secret?"

The smile grew sad. "Only the Senshi of Silence can break the Silence. But once she does, there is no turning back. What you learn cannot be undone."

"She can't break anything!" Michiru snapped. "She's lying unconscious on the floor with a blade in her chest! What happened there?"

"Silence was not yet ready to be broken," Amaterasu said. "The child did not understand what she had been shown. She was angry and frightened, but she did not know the most important part of all."

"How can she learn anything while being held prisoner?" Haruka demanded.

"She can't," the star agreed. "So she has gone seeking the final truth…with some help."

"Some help?" Michiru asked. "Who? How? What do you mean?"

"Don't fret, child, you will understand. But please believe that she is safe with those who love her."

"We love her!" Michiru almost shouted.

"And your love goes with her," Amaterasu reassured her. "But now your sister Mars is tiring, my loves. Her body has held out well, but she is growing weak. I must return it to her."

"Wait!" Setsuna cried. "We have so many more questions! What about Galaxia? She wants me to go with her, away from our system!"

"Don't fear leaving home. If you leave your heart here, you will always find your way back."

"What does that even mean?" Haruka whispered.

"Usagi!" Mamoru shouted over her. "Please, tell me something!"

The golden light was dimming. Rei's hair was falling slowly back to her shoulders, and her body began to droop. Her eyes became violet again as her arms fell slack to her sides.

Yet the song of the star Amaterasu managed once last whisper.

"She is not alone. You have a visitor, my loves."

The silks on the walls ceased to ripple. The wind died. Everything went still.

Rei toppled forward.

"REI!"

Jadeite broke the circle, diving forward to catch her before she hit the ground.

The koto clattered noisily as Michiru leapt to her feet, running for the door.

"Hotaru! What did she mean about Hotaru?!?"

"Wait, love, wait!" Haruka shouted as she raced after her.

Zoisite and Nephrite eased Mamoru to the ground, where he sat staring blankly at the floor. Across the room, looking strangely alone without Haruka and Michiru, Setsuna gazed out into the courtyard, her teeth worrying her lower lip. Makoto moved swiftly to Ami, whispering and gesturing wildly as the genius shook her head.

Minako turned and took one blind step. She did not see Kunzite crossing to her side, but his arms were around her anyway. She collapsed against him, her cheek pressed to his chest.

"We did get some answers," Kunzite whispered into her hair.

"Most of them wrapped in riddles," Minako moaned. "Why do I feel like the only thing she gave us was more questions?"


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: Per usual, they aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them outta love, I'll put them back where I found them..._

_A/N: Hi! That's all I've got, I'm trying desperately to shake off the writer's block,I'm sorry, there, we're done. Okay, thanks go out to Bin82501 (I'm trying to get back on the ride, and as always, I hope we enjoy it together) Isis Aurora Tomoe (no! no baseball bat for the chihuahuas! it's not their fault they have great big ears, but little tiny brains! the Outers are the main subject here, so I hope you enjoy) astra-kelly (reread your review, that _had_ to be Crichton, it's what he'd say, and major kudos to all my fellow Farscape fans!) Through Darkness (hm, plot distracting from dialogue, it's usually the other way around, I'll try to streamline them better) lija (it's starting to look like a season of Heroes, isn't it, split everyone up, but have them back together for the big finale? but I'm going to give attention to those who need it but never get it, a.k.a. the Outer Senshi, especially Hotaru and Setsuna, and I was trying to keep Amaterasu playfully so I guess she came off sort of right...) Lysia Croft (good lord, you're still here? the ultimate compliment is the person who sticks through from beginning to end...now that the questions are out there, I'm going to actually start answering some of them, and the Starlights will be showing up relatively soon) Andi (ah, thanks!) sailorashes (if I stopped at a boring part, would you want to read it anymore? ;-P) Lalaitha Yamainu (I think I sent you an answer to your questions, but if not, let me know, okay?) Sabrina (sorry it took me so long, but I hope you like what I have here) mlkoolc86 (another round of sorry for taking so long!) isabella (it's only going to get longer and more involved, just so you know...) S dot Serenity (alright, a lot of people asked about the Queen of the Moon being the one to let go, not Earth, but Queen Serenity only said she _screamed _first, and the Abyss, well, not the most trustworthy witness, and just imagine junior Sailor Senshi let loose with a time key and you'll know what's coming) Christine12 (yes, yes, you will be seeing the Three Lights) Nyridian (one comprehensive review is much more appreciate than several little ones, and easier on you, too, but please, get some sleep! You go crazy if you don't, and start writing sequels to stories that are already 62 chapters long) Artemis-chan of Redwing (Redwing? As in Redwing Minnesota? Woot! and if I have any major fault with my writing, it's throwing up my chapters so fast I don't reread them properly first, so I'm sorry about the mistakes) and Aphrodite's Kiss (muchos gracias, I think you were the final kick in the rear I needed to get going again) Thanks, everyone, and here we go again!_

Once more, Michiru pushed open the door to her daughter's room, and came to a dead halt.

Lying on the lavender bedspread, her beautiful hair fanned out around her and her skin looking as white as her gown, Galaxia rolled her head around to blink blankly at the younger woman standing in the doorway. On her left, Artemis remained collapsed, and did not even open his eyes. Luna raised her head from the floor to give a plaintive mew.

Of Hotaru, there was no sign.

"What...what happened here?" Michiru gasped, taking a step into the room.

"There was a...a...there was smoke," Galaxia said slowly. Her words slurred together, and her eyes seemed unwilling to focus properly. "Wait, first there was a ball, and then there was smoke, and then there was 'nother ball..."

Footsteps echoed up the stairs. She heard Haruka breathing behind her, felt her heat, and her concern. Michiru groped behind her automatically until she felt her partner take her hand.

"What's going on?" Haruka whispered. "Hotaru? Where's Hotaru?"

Very carefully, Galaxia pushed herself up onto her elbows. She shook her head slightly, winced in pain, and tried to force her attention to stay on the two distraught parents.

"Hotaru...left."

"She...she _left?_" Michiru gasped. "How could she have _left?_ She had a _Glaive_ in her _chest!_"

"You would think that would have slowed things down," Galaxia agreed. "But she didn't leave on her own. Those other girls took her."

"Those other..." Haruka moved closer, her chest pressed to Michiru's back. "_What other girls?_"

"Chibiusa."

Michiru felt her head whip around to look towards Luna. The cat staggered to her feet, and gave her head a shake similar to Galaxia's. Then she turned and walked towards a familiar black ball, with a kitty face and little ears. Luna-P Ball smiled innocently up at them.

"That's...wait, what?" Haruka muttered. "Why is Luna-P here? If Chibiusa was here, where is she now?"

"I don't know," Luna moaned as her head drooped again. "One moment it was just us, and then Luna-P bounced through the door spraying smoke, and Galaxia-sama tried to get rid of it, but then they threw in an exploding billiard ball, and the next thing we knew the room was filled up with smoke, and I heard Chibiusa's voice, and other voices, and there was pink light, and then...and then you came in the room."

Galaxia pointed a shaky finger at her. "'Xactly what the cat said. 'Cept she didn't say the ball that blew up made me hit my head."

"That we guessed," Haruka said with a worried look. "But they just disappeared? They didn't say anything? Why wouldn't Chibiusa just _tell_ us where she was taking Hotaru?"

"Don' know," Galaxia said, shrugging. "Who _is_ Chibiusa, anyway?"

Ignoring this, Michiru turned around to Haruka. "Amaterasu...she said Hotaru was with those who love her. Of course Chibiusa adores Hotaru, but...they're just children! Is that safe?"

"Who were the other girls?" Galaxia asked. Her attention was now fixed fuzzily on the ceiling. "I heard...Pallas. They said Pallas. And...something about a vest."

"A vest?" Haruka echoed. "A _vest?_ Were you drinking before you hit your head?"

"Not a vest," Luna cut in. "_Vesta._"

"As in the asteroid," Michiru said. "As in the leader of Chibiusa's guardians."

Luna nodded, then groaned and put a paw to her head. "There were enough feet that I think they were all here. _They_ took her."

"So they're all together," Haruka reminded her lover gently. "They can take care of her."

"They are all _children_ together," Michiru shot back. "And one of them is _our_ child. Chibiusa has parents who love her, who protect her and adore her...Hotaru has only us."

"You can't think like that. They may be young, but they're Sailor Senshi. One Princess, and five guardians, if you include Hotaru. They will be safe together."

Michiru ducked her head, unable to look into Haruka's eyes any longer. "She's...she's the only daughter we'll ever have, Haruka. I know she is Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Death and Destruction, and I know she isn't from my body, but in my heart she's my _baby._"

Strong arms took her and held her close. A hand stroked over her hair, and she felt Haruka laugh weakly. "Always the mother..."

"Where does the key come in?"

Haruka leaned back to look around Michiru towards the bed, and the powerful yet punch-drunk Sailor Senshi lying there. "_Nani?_"

"They had a key," Galaxia said. "I remember one of them said something about a key. That was before the light."

Still within the circle of Haruka's arms, Michiru spun around, her eyes widening. "A key...and then a pink light. Of course!"

She felt Haruka shrug helplessly. "Of course? Of course...what, exactly?"

"Michiru? Haruka? Where are you?"

At the sound of Setsuna's voice, Galaxia sat up all the way. "Is that Pluto? Will she actually explain what's going on?"

"We're up here!" Haruka shouted over her. "In Hotaru's room!"

Within seconds, Setsuna appeared in the doorway, her face drawn and uncertain. She looked to the empty floor of Hotaru's room, and though her frown deepened, she did not look surprised. "It's like she said...but who did she leave with?"

"Chibiusa," Michiru said tartly. "Will you _please_ stop giving the children the keys to the Gates of Time? They've gone off jauntering around the time line!"

"How do you know that?" Setsuna asked, scarlet eyes widening in alarm.

"Galaxia-sama told us," Haruka said. "Sort of. She hit her head, so she's a little...well, she's a little out there right now. But Chibiusa was here, she used a key, there was a pink light...Do the math."

"That key is for emergencies only!" Setsuna snapped. "Small Lady knows that!"

"Your Hotaru had a large blade sticking out of her chest. Doesn't that count as an emergency?"

Now all three Outer Senshi looked at Galaxia, who seemed to be having an easier time focusing, though her eyes did drift a little to the right.

"I...well...I suppose so. Alright, so I guess Small Lady wasn't entirely out of line."

"But why did she kidnap Hotaru, instead of just speaking to us?" Michiru mused aloud.

"She _kidnapped_ Hotaru?" Setsuna cried. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not like I just fell and cracked my head!" Galaxia growled. "They tried to blow me up!"

Luna leapt up onto the bed and leaned over Artemis as she spoke. "They probably didn't think we'd let them go if they just talked to us. What does it matter now? They're gone!"

"We need to be going, too," Galaxia added. "Setsuna, I know you feel duty bound to stay here, but-"

"The Goddess said I should go with you. The sooner the better, I suppose."

Michiru shook her head as she sagged weakly against Haruka. "Setsuna, I don't want you to go."

"I _have_ to," Setsuna muttered, her eyes downcast. "We need the help, Michiru. The galaxy-"

"Forget the galaxy!" Michiru snapped. "What about our _family?_ Our baby is gone, our Princess has disappeared, our home is in danger from an enemy so old you've never heard about it...Now I'm losing my sister, too!"

Fourty-eight hours of constant fear, confusion, pain, and confrontation with powerful beings finally became too much. Michiru, the cool and confident and controlled, burst into tears.

Then she saw, through the haze, an expression she had never seen on Setsuna's face before. She had seen her friend frightened, hurt, even angry, but now Setsuna simply looked lost.

"I don't want to go," Setsuna whispered. "This is the first time in...millennia, really, that I've had family. Since my father died. I want to stay with you, and Haruka, and Hotaru...always. But if the galaxy is destroyed, where are we all going to live?"

The laughter from Michiru was mixed with a sob, and she raised one hand to press to her mouth. She felt Haruka's shoulders shaking a little with her own mirth, and through it all, Setsuna managed a smile. But from her beautiful garnet eyes, there were tears beginning to fall.

"When will you come home?" Michiru asked.

Setsuna hesitated, then looked towards the bed. Galaxia rose to her feet, and took a cautious step, to lay her hand on Setsuna's shoulder. She gave Michiru a gentle smile.

"I'll take good care of her, and have her back as soon as possible. I promise you that."

It did not make Michiru feel much better, but she decided she could not feel much worse. She held out a hand, and went across the room. Setsuna moved to meet her. Seconds later, Haruka's arms closed around them both, and the three of them just held on tight for a long moment.

"Come home," Michiru whispered. "Please, Setsuna, come home."

Setsuna laughed softly. "You'd think I'd never left home before."

"You haven't," Haruka reminded her. "You've never left our solar system before."

"Well, that's true, but I'm a big girl, you know."

Haruka leaned back, and stared pointedly at Setsuna's chest. "_Hai,_ you are indeed a _big _girl."

"HARUKA!" Setsuna and Michiru shrieked together, leaping back to glare at her.

"Well, love, I never said she was bigger than you. Really, with all this loose flowing clothing we're wearing, it's hard to tell. I think I would have a much easier time judging if I could just have a feel."

Setsuna and Michiru each dealt a groping hand a resounding slap.

"No touchie-feelie, Haruka!" Setsuna snapped.

Michiru merely tempered her refusal with, "Not in your daughter's room, love. That's just...wrong."

"Is this what this house is always like?" Galaxia asked from behind Setsuna in a wondering tone.

Haruka turned to her with a wide smile. "Actually, we also make certain around here not to neglect our guests. Would you like a feel as well?"

"When would you like to leave, Galaxia-sama?" Setsuna asked, pointedly ignoring her friend.

Galaxia edged a little closer to her, and further from Haruka. "As soon as you're ready, my dear."

"Well, you're not going in just the clothes you're wearing," Michiru announced in something closer to her usual voice. She dashed a hand across her eyes and chased away any last vestige of tears. "Let's pack you a bag. Um, winter clothes, in case some of these planets are cold, and summer clothes...at least you don't have to worry about packing your uniform. Galaxia-sama, we'll find you something to wear other than that one dress, too. Haruka, run down to the kitchen and grab some granola bars, those pudding packs, and Hotaru's juice boxes. Luna, what about Artemis?"

"I think he's just napping now," Luna called after her."Artemis? Artemis! Wake up, you lazy-"

Michiru closed the door on the warring felines, and began to herd everyone down the hall.

"A bag?" Haruka whispered, falling back to walk beside her while Setsuna helped Galaxia down the stairs."Really, love?"

"It's the only thing I can do to help her."

_A/N Again: It is love, not genetics, that make a family. My dear friend's brother is adopted, like Hotaru with her three loving parents, and it was his mother's favorite poem that said, "You were not born under my heart, but in it."_


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: Per usual, they aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them outta love, I'll put them back where I found them..._

_A/N: Rei and Jadeite, dark bedroom, 'nough said_

Her whole body felt weak, as though, in those few minutes she had shared it with Amaterasu, the she had given all her energy to keeping the very sun itself shining. But, strangely, Rei was not tired, merely relaxed, and almost euphoric. The sensation usually only came in the middle of her transformation, just as her planet power took control, and for a second she glowed like a brilliant red star. Then it always faded away to leave her powerful, but nothing more than human.

An hour after her brush with the solar deity, the feeling lingered on.

"Rei? Love, how are you?"

She lay on her bed, still clad in her _miko_ garb, and smiling at the colors the setting sun threw across her otherwise dark bedroom. At the sound of his voice, she turned to look at Jadeite, her smile growing. She lifted one hand towards him.

"Jadeite, come here."

He still wore blue, Earth's color. As he went to one knee beside the bed and took her hand, Rei felt, for a second, that she could see backwards through time. The bedroom of a modern girl faded away, and she lay on the rim of a merrily splashing fountain, in the center of Endymion's royal rose garden. She had laughed as he knelt there in his uniform, then drew a flower from thin air, and solemnly offered it to her. Not a rose, she remembered now, but a different flower all together.

"Why a lily?"

"_Nani?_" Jadeite whispered, reaching forward to brush back a lock of her hair.

"Back in the Silver Millennium," Rei said, "when you were first...persuing me-"

"That's an excellent word for it," Jadeite muttered. "I remember you calling it shadowing you, hassling you, chasing you, dogging you, hunting you came up at least once-"

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment."

"_Gomen._ Continue."

"When you were first trying to 'win my favor', or whatever, you always brought roses. Red roses. But when you did...when I loved you, you brought me just one flower. A single white lily. Why?"

Jadeite pursed his lips for a second in thought. Then he rose from his knee to sit on the edge of her bed. He placed one hand on the pillow beside her head so he could look comfortably down into her face. He studied her for a moment, and his mouth relaxed into a smile.

"You were, and are, the most striking woman I've ever seen. Your hair," he lifted a strand, and pressed it to his lips, "is black, true black, the color of the deepest night sky. Your skin," the backs of his fingers skimmed over her cheek in a tender caress, "is so white, like the face of the silver moon. When I first saw you, you weren't wearing your uniform. Remember, you were trying to hide who you were. But you wore a gown of silk, the softest silk from Mars, in a color that put the most brilliant roses to shame. I wanted you, then. So I brought you flowers that reminded me of that gown as it embraced your beautiful body."

His hand slid down her throat, and traced over her shoulder, then slowly down one arm. His eyes followed, and she felt no embarrassment as he took in the curves of her body, because his eyes looked not hungry, not lusting, but soft, and worshipful.

"But then I talked to you, saw you laugh, and I wanted to be the one who made you laugh. You are so beautiful when you laugh, Rei. Your eyes fill with the laughter, and your lips have this perfect curve, and your whole face just glows. I could spend a thousand years watching you laugh. And somehow, your laughter became more important than your body. So, when you finally let me in, when you finally let me love you, and even more increadibly, when you loved me, too, I didn't think of that red silk gown as the wind brushed it against your curves, but just thought about your smile. I brought you a flower that was almost as beautiful as your face when you laugh. Almost. But not quite."

Rei stared at him, his golden hair tinged with crimson from the dying light, and his blue eyes brilliant and wide and, for once, not laughing, not mocking. The sarcasm was gone, the caustic comments and witty returns, there was only him, and only her, and, for now, the truth, the most simple truth of all.

She loved this man.

Her fingers touched his chin, glided up his strong jaw, over his smooth cheek, and into those soft curls. She pulled gently, closing her eyes, and he came to her. His lips were warm, and soft, and they touched her the way his eyes had, adoring her. She wrapped her other arm around his neck, and rose up into him, pressing her body to his. She felt the strong muscles of his arm through the material of his shirt and her _haori,_ playing across her back. He deepened the kiss, sucking gently on her lower lip, but there was no urgency. No demand. He took his time, kissing first one corner of her mouth, and then the other, before returning to the center of her lips.

"Jadeite," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open. "Jadeite, stay with me."

"Of course, love," he murmured back. "All night, if you want."

"I want."

Rei slid her hand from his hair, down his neck, down to the collar of his shirt. She took the top most button and slid it free.

He laughed softly against her mouth. "Careful, Rei. Without Haruka here, how can you know I'm not going to take advantage of you?"

"You aren't going to get a chance. Because I'm going to take advantage of you."

He chuckled again, until she undid the next button. Then his eyes flew wide, and met hers squarely. "Wait. Are you serious?"

"Entirely."

"I...I...I..."

She had expected a dirty comment, a triumphant grin, or even just a naughty twitch of the eyebrows. Instead, he fell into stammering incoherence, and sat up quickly, putting a most unsatisfactory distance between their bodies.

"_Ano_...hold on, Rei. You have recently had a rather mind altering experience, and I'm not entirely sure you're in a position to be making hasty decisions that...include the removal of clothing."

"What makes you think I made the decision just now?" she asked.

Jadeite blinked dumbly at her. "Well, when did you make it?"

"I don't know. Maybe on a night when you gave me a white lily, and told me you loved me for the first time."

"That was several thousand years ago, and, well, between then and now...there was that whole war thing. And...death."

Rei pushed herself up onto her elbows, tilting her head a little to the side. "I don't understand, Jadeite. Don't...don't you want me?"

"I find that to be an unfair question, and one with absolutely no bearing on the current conversation."

"How does that have 'no bearing on the current conversation'?"

He shrugged. "I pretty much want you twenty-four/seven, so that really doesn't effect the situation we're in right now."

"I...still don't understand."

"That would be because I'm making very sad work of this," Jadeite admitted ruefully. He reached out and cupped his hand gently around her cheek. "Rei, I love you. I adore you. And I can't bear to think of you hating me tomorrow because I _wanted_ you more than I _love_ you."

"Jadeite," she murmured, covering his hand with her own, "I'm seventeen. This is modern-day Japan, and even in the Silver Millennium, at seventeen we knew about...this. I'm not an innocent."

His eyebrows shot straight up.

"_Iie!_ I didn't mean...in that particular area I'm innocent...I'm just...I'm telling you that you aren't exactly stealing my virtue, here. I'm not a child."

Surprisingly, Jadeite laughed. "You know, two nights ago, Mamoru and I had this same fight. Only he was saying my part, and I was saying yours."

"I hope we're not fighting," Rei murmured wistfully. "I don't want to fight tonight, Jadeite."

"We're not fighting," he assured her. "We're...discussing."

She lifted her hand from his, and slid it around to the back of his neck. Slowly, she began to draw him closer again. "Just tell me this. Do you think I'm a girl? Or do you think I'm a woman?"

One hand tangled in her hair, one slid around to the small of her back, he pulled her against him, and he kissed her until she had no doubt that he saw the woman in her.

She smiled a little against his lips as he slowly shifted forward, and lay her back against the pillows again.

"But Rei," he said softly, "you're still in your _miko_ clothes. Aren't they supposed to signify purity?"

"Then why don't you help me out of them?"

Closing her eyes, she bit her lip, a little nervous, as she felt the bow at the waist of her _hakama_ pulled free. A moment later, her _haori_ was loosened. He did not open it, though.

"Rei..."

She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. Jadeite looked into her face, his hand hovering over the white fabric. She almost laughed as she realized he looked, if anything, more nervous than she felt. Then she freed a hand, and unwrapped the white shirt of the _miko_ from her body.

"Don't be so afraid, Jadeite."

His fingers still trembled when they touched her neck, and began to slide down.

Still, he could not help one joke. "Haruka is going to break my legs."

"Don't worry, love," Rei whispered, letting her eyes fall closed once more as his caress found where he had never been before. "I'll protect you."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them, and I will clean them up when I'm done!

A/N: Alright, I seem to be getting back into the swing of things. Thanks go out to Aphrodite's Kiss (every couple will get attention, and so will the Quartet) mlkoolc86 (everyone seems to have thought I died…can't blame you) Sin Katt (I just about fell off my chair laughing when I read your review) Daphne (I hope _I_ never have to wait seven months again, either) Bin82501 (glad to see you, too, and glad you liked "A Grief…", that's been bouncing around inside my head for awhile) AnnechanB (I've always hated the term "real parents" or "real children" instead of "biological…", I'm so glad you understand) Xx Lady Xiao xX (oh, thank you so much, and Rei was being exceedingly tempting, so you can blame poor Jed) astra-kelly (hehe, nice to see you again, too) Isis Aurora Tomoe (I missed you all, too! just had to throw in a scene where Galaxia is somewhat out of character for a good reason, and scattering everyone was the only way to give them all the attention they deserved, so I'm glad you're on board with me there) Lalaitha Yamainu (after I e-mailed you, I remembered that scene in the Abyss, and I swear I'll explain it all, that's supposed to seem wrong, and I've always seen Michiru as such a Mom so of course she feels the need to take of Setsuna, and feed her, and here is more Mamo-Shitennou for you, only more cheerful than "A Grief…", but I think Rei can protect Jadeite pretty well) Artemis-chan of Redwing (in case you couldn't tell, I'm from MN, anyway the Quartet are _not_ her guardians in SuperS anime, but the Shitennou aren't Mamoru's guardians in the anime, either, so to hell with it :P) And here we go again!

_He knew the music. He knew the steps. Not just the simple steps, either. He knew the twirls and spins, the tiny, minute movements that turned it from just an excersize into a dance._

_They danced._

_The floor was silver, a perfect mirror, and it reflected back the whole solar system, and all the heavens. Her white gown and his black cape swept over the reflections. It felt strange, unreal, yet magical, dancing through a field of stars._

_"Have I ever been here, before?" he murmured. "This isn't the ballroom."_

_"No. You've never been here before. This is the Prayer Chamber. This is where I last saw her."_

_"Who?"_

_"My mother."_

"My baby."

_He blinked, and jerked his eyes away from the stunning room around them. He looked to the woman whose right hand held his left, and whose left hand lay lightly on his shoulder while his right clasped her waist._

_She looked beautiful, more beautiful than he could ever remember. And she was always beautiful to him. Her hair fell in a rush of silver, instead of gold, pinned up with gold and jewels he had never seen before. Her gown was nothing more than whispers of silk, light enough to seem to float on its own as her tiny feet followed him around the floor. The face tipped up to his appeared calm, assured in a manner he had never seen before. In the center of her forehead, where a gold moon usually shone, suspended on delicate chain of crystals, was an ornament like a golden starburst._

_But he only missed a step when he saw the eyes that met his were not blue, but silver._

_"What...how..._who are you?_"_

_Her face registered only a little hurt._

_"Endymion, what do you mean?"_

_"You...your different. What's happening?"_

_"I'm not different. I'm your Princess. Don't you know me?"_

_"I don't know."_

_They continued to turn around the silver floor, perfectly in time. For the first time, he thought to wonder where the music came from. He looked all around them, but only they two danced in this room. There were no musicians, no courtiers...no one._

_"What's going on, Serenity? The music..."_

_He glanced back at her face, to see her smiling dreamily and gazing around them. "The stars are singing. The most beautiful music, isn't it? Because the stars were the first to sing. Before the stars, there was nothing but chaos. Thousands, millions, billions of elements, tumbling all around the universe, screaming in their own voices. But then two found one another, and they were not so afraid anymore. Then came more, and more, and more...and they began to sing."_

_"How do you know that?"_

_She returned her eyes to his. The smile slipped away, and her lips began to tremble._

_"I don't know. Endymion...what's happening to me?"_

_They danced on as he shook his head._

_"I don't know. But I promise, I'll protect you."_

_"You can't," she whispered. "I can't even protect you from myself. Endymion, I think there's something wrong with me."_

_"No. Never, Serenity."_

"My Serenity..."

_He blinked at the strange echo, and looked up. As he gazed over her head, he saw something. Something behind her, yet clinging to her, like a soft, silver mist. But not a mist. The longer he stared, the more it looked like a figure, a person, dancing along with them, stepping at the same time Serenity did, her hands on Serenity's, and on his._

_"Serenity," he said slowly. "Serenity, we aren't alone."_

_"I'm never alone these days. The Abyss follows me everywhere. And I think something has followed me out of there."_

_"I know. It...she's here with us."_

_Serenity merely nodded. He swallowed hard, then took her hand tighter in his own, and spun her out. She moved out, away from him, and the misty figure moved with her. She turned around until she came back to him, his arm wrapped around her waist. He felt her back against his chest, yet still, the other one stayed somehow between them._

_"Leave us alone," he hissed, drawing Serenity as tight as he could against his body. "Leave _her _alone."_

"She is my...she is my..."

_"She is mine!" he snarled with a possessiveness he had never known before. "I won't let you take her from me. She belongs with me."_

_"Yes," Serenity whispered, her feet just ahead of his as they glided across the floor. "Yes, I want to belong with you."_

"My...my blood...my Serenity...my baby..."

_Serenity turned her head, as though listening to that strange echo._

"My blood...my baby...she is mine..."

_"She's right," Serenity sighed. "Her blood flows inside of me. Her power is moving me. Endymion..."_

_He leaned close, and breathed against her ear. "Our baby, Serenity. Our blood. We are your family. We love you. I _need_ you."_

_"I love you," she whispered on a sob. "But I belong to the moon. The moon...she calls to me. Endymion, I don't want to go!"_

_"Stay with me." Slowly, gently, he turned her around in his arms, so they were pressed chest to chest, and the mist was no longer between them. "You can stay with me."_

_"Can I?"_

_"Yes. I don't care what the moon wants. You are my love. You belong here, at home, with all of us. So come home, Serenity. Come home to me."_

"No...come home to me...my baby...my blood..."

_"I...I...I..."_

_He swept down on her. His lips touched hers._

_He met only mist._

_His eyes opened wide. His arms were empty._

_He stood in the center of a rose garden. He knew it well, the garden in the center of Earth's palace. This was his home, millennia ago. Here, he had first looked down into a pair of beautiful, gentle, but fierce blue eyes. Here, he had fallen in love with her._

_Only her._

_Here, during a war that never should have been, he had died for her._

_Here, he had lost her._

_He spun around, to find the hedges of roses joined together in a perfect circle. There was no break. No way out._

"Blood of Earth...never to be trusted...never to leave this soil again...she is mine."

_"No! Give her back to me!"_

"Never to leave...never to have...never to be trusted..."

_"Let me out! Let her come back to me!"_

_This time, only silence met his ears._

_He looked up to the moon. She hung there, in the sky, as silver and bright as those eyes as they brimmed with tears, as she whispered she loved him. Though he knew it was a fool's gesture, he stretched out one hand._

_"Please...I need her."_

"She is mine."

_His hand fell back to his side. His fingers touched metal. Surprised, he looked down._

_His hand rested on his sword's hilt._

_"What is it, my son?"_

_He whirled around, his weapon in his hand, and saw no one._

_"Who's there?" he called. "What do you want?"_

_"What _she_ wants. What we all want."_

_A woman's voice, but not that of the strange echo, nor Serenity. Yet he knew that voice, from somewhere deep inside his soul. It warmed him, and frightened him, all at the same time._

_"Who are you? Show yourself!"_

_She seemed to materialize from the very roses. Her gown was blue, her long, long hair as black as his. She stood with her back to him, and look up into the sky._

_"The silver moon. Silver Millennium. She was always the chosen one. Do you ever wonder why?"_

_"No," he admitted. "If you knew her, you would not wonder why."_

_The strange woman laughed softly. "I knew her. I thought...I thought I loved her. Once upon a time. Now I know, she does not know what love is. Or maybe I never did."_

_He lowered the sword slightly, and took a step closer. "Who are you?"_

_Delicate shoulders sent ripples through that glorious black hair as she gave a little shrug. "I am to you what _she_ is to your love. I am your past. I can be your power."_

_"My power? I have power."_

_"Oh, my poor son. You have nothing compared to the rest of them. You are weak, and they will use it against you. They have always hated us, you know. Look around you. All these roses, all these leaves, the rushing oceans and the trickling rivers...we gave birth to them naturally. These are ours by right of blood. They had to steal our secrets, and carry them off their own worlds. They tried to steal our power. But I kept it. I kept it for _you._"_

_Now he took a step back. He had heard voices trembling like that. It was not fear, nor anger, nor joy, nor hate. He knew the sound of madness well._

_"I have her. That is all I want."_

_"You can have so much more."_

_He raised the sword, and pointed it at her unguarded back. He knew himself incapable of hurting a woman, but he was perfectly capable of defending himself._

_"I will ask you again. What do you want?"_

_She turned to face him, and he staggered backwards._

_Her face was beautiful. She had the same nose as him, the same stubborn chin, the same long lashes and dramatic eyebrows. But under those brows, and between those lashes, there was nothing._

_"My son," she whispered, staring at him with those bloody gaping sockets and stretching out a hand, "I want to come home."_

_"NO!"_

"_IIE!_"

Even as Mamoru sat up, gasping, in bed, he heard the door crash open. Kunzite stood before him, his dagger in one hand, wearing sweat pants without a shirt. A moment later, Zoisite and Nephrite piled in behind him, both half-dressed but armed. All three swept the room with their eyes.

"What is it?" Kunzite snapped. He marched to the curtains, and poked at them cautiously with his blade. "Where is it?"

Zoisite relaxed slightly, and shook his head. "A dream, my lord?"

"A dream," Mamoru admitted, rubbing his eyes wearily. "A nightmare. Calm down, Kunzite. There's no one here but the four of us." He frowned. "Wait, four of us? Where's Jadeite?"

"He, uh, hasn't returned yet," Nephrite said. "He's...still with Rei."

Mamoru glanced at the clock. "But it's after midnight!"

"_Hai,_" Zoisite muttered with a sly grin. "We noticed. Kunzite has been getting worried."

"It isn't Jadeite I'm worried about," his leader snapped, sinking down to sit on the foot of Mamoru's bed.

"What, are you worried about his...intentions towards Rei?" Nephrite's smile was bigger than even Zoisite's. "I'd be more concerned about Rei's intentions towards him."

"If he oversteps his boundaries, she can always set his head on fire," Zoisite added pleasantly.

"I know that Rei is perfectly capable of handling both herself and Jadeite," Kunzite growled, "but now is not the time to be changing relationships. We have other things to be thinking about."

Zoisite and Nephrite exchanged a look, then turned towards their Prince. He smiled a little, and nodded to them both.

"Kunzite," Zoisite began slowly, "is this about Jadeite and Rei, or you and Minako?"

"What the hell has any of this got to do with me?"

"Well, since when in the hell have you been this interested in Jadeite's love life?"

His leader turned away. "Mamoru, what was it?"

"I...I couldn't even begin to tell you. There was dancing, and Usagi, and someone else, and this strange woman...who had no eyes."

"Eeh," Zoisite and Nephrite chorused, recoiling a little.

"No eyes?" Kunzite muttered. "As in her face was blank, or...?"

"Oh, no. They were there once, but something seemed to have ripped them out of her head."

"Yeesh!"

"Will you two go back to bed?" Kunzite snapped at the pair in the doorway.

"Oh, fine, be that way," Zoisite grumbled as he withdrew.

Nephrite paused to look at Mamoru.

"I'm fine," Mamoru assured him. "Go on."

The door closed behind him, and there was only Mamoru and Kunzite in the dark.

"What happened to her?" Kunzite asked bluntly. "In your dream. Usagi. What happened?"

"We were dancing. But there was someone else there, and she...she took my Usako away." He let his face fall forward into his hands. "God, every minute, I'm so afraid I'm never going to see her again. What if she's hurt? What if...what if...?"

"The goddess told us she was fine."

"I know. So why don't I feel any better?"

"Because you love her."

Mamoru had to laugh at the simple way Kunzite said those words, but he nodded, too.

"I love her. And I want her back here, with me. She belongs here with me."

"Of course."

He lifted his head, and gazed out the window to the moon, which shone coldly back.

"I think there is someone who disagrees with us."


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon, I own only the characters I have created, and the bizarre situations I keep thrusting them all into...

A/N: For those of you interested in where Usagi disappeared off to, here she be! Thanks this time go out to Girl Who Writes (the Shitennou and the Starlights is going to be quite the meeting) Lysia Croft (always glad to see you, and the hardest thing is keeping all these crazy characters seperated into their different relationships, and giving them the time they deserve, so glad you love Endy and his boys) Isis Aurora Tomoe (hehehe, I love the love) Lalaitha Yamainu (I live for you guys' reviews..."le gasp", loved it, and everyone _but_ Queen Serenity will be showing up, she really is gone) Bin82501 (I'm enjoying writing it again, so I love that you love it) Artemis-chan of Redwing (somebody has to say what we're all thinking, and those somebodies happen to be Zoi and Neph, and while it's fun to bring in _all_ the Senshi, I hope I can do them all justice) Sabrina (everyone's reactions to Rei and Jadeite's sleepover will be coming soon, and will be...varied, I'll try to keep the updates coming as best I can) and Sin Katt (you still make me laugh! and Rei and Jade aren't the only couple who need to step things up a notch...) Everyone, enjoy!

_"The moon...she calls to me. Endymion, I don't want to go!"_

_"I don't care what the moon wants. You are my love. You belong here, at home, with all of us. So come home, Serenity. Come home to me."_

_He swept down on her. Her lips touched his._

_She opened her eyes, and he was gone. She was alone._

_No, not alone._

"My blood."

_It flitted around her, that single silver petal, tossed about by a soft breeze blowing suddenly through the Prayer Chamber. Occassionally, it touched her, caressing her cheeks like a tiny kiss. She smiled, but she turned in a slow circle, and she called out._

_"Endymion? Endymion!"_

"Gone. He has gone."

_"No. No! I want him back! Give him back to me!"_

"Blood of Earth...you cannot trust him."

_"He loves me!" she cried out. "He has always loved me! I'm going to marry him!"_

_The breeze exploded into a fullforce gail. It buffetted her sideways, shoving her across the silver floor, and all around the shining reflection of the heavens. Above it all, the other shrieked in a voice that no longer warmed her, but frightened her._

"NO! The blood of Earth...my blood...I will NEVER allow it!"

_"Stop it!" she wailed. "Stop! I can't-"_

"You cannot! YOU CANNOT! Not with Earth! You are mine! YOU ARE MINE!"

_"STOP IT!"_

_The power exploded, from her, from the silver petal, or perhaps from the moon itself. It raced across the heavens under her feet, and filled the Chamber. For a moment it felt as though the whole of creation burned._

_Then it swept back in, and the wind was gone, and the Prayer Chamber still._

_Except for a tiny silver petal, slowly fluttering by her face._

"You belong to the moon. Even your power...all from me. Always...always...you will be mine..."

_Serenity, heir to the Silver Millennium, closed her eyes and began to weep._

Usagi opened her eyes with a tiny gasp. Automatically she looked to the side, towards her clock. She blinked blankly at the tree limb, the emerald leaves shimmering in the early morning sun just in front of her eyes. Rolling her head the other way, she saw the trunk of the tree, the bark scraping against her cheek.

Even after shaking her head slightly, nothing changed. She sat propped against a tree, hidden away from anyone passing by, in the park where she and her friends had enjoyed their ice cream, and where Mamoru and the Shitennou had returned to them. Her whole body ached, though only half as much as her heart.

She remembered the dream, and her scattered friends, and her flight into the dark, and the alley, and...

"S...Ser...Seren...ity?"

Her head slowly turned, and she raised her eyes to the other person hiding beneath the tree.

The girl knelt in front of her, wide, frightened eyes fixed on Usagi's face. She had a beautiful face, a delicate oval, her eyes shaped like almonds with thick lashes, a long but elegant nose, and a pair of full lips. Her body and face, everything about her, looked human at first glance. But now, in the light of day, Usagi took the time to truly study the stranger. Her flesh was golden, not the color of mocha like Setsuna's, but as though she had been dyed with sunlight. She blinked curiously at Usagi with eyelashes the color of deep, dark violets. Instead of merely pink, the delicately parted lips appeared to have an almost metalic shimmer to them. Hair like sunrise, somewhere between gold and pink and red, fell from elaborate braids to dance around that beautiful face. And her eyes...

One moment they were dark green, the next brilliant blue, changing to deep purple, softening into delicate pink, then darkening into red.

The girl was not human.

"_Hai,_" Usagi managed to whispered. "Serenity. That is my name. And you are... your name is Minau?"

She nodded eagerly. "Minau! You remembered! Good! Good."

"I remember. You said you needed help. Right?"

Those lovely, shining lips trembled. "I need help. I'm so far from home. I want to go home."

"Me, too," Usagi whispered, her eyes moving away. She passed a hand briefly over her cheeks to wipe away any lingering tears, and silently ordered herself calmer. "I don't remember...how did we get here?"

"You were very tired," Minau told her slowly. For the first time, Usagi caught the slight accent to her words. "I...I came up behind you. I frightened you. I'm sorry, I just...I did not know what else to do. When I asked you to help me, you said you would. You started to lead me away from that place that smelled bad, but you were walking strangely, first one way, then the other. I took your arm, and you led me this way. To here, to the tree. Then you sat down, and you went to sleep."

Still, Usagi remembered little after asking the stranger's name. She pushed off from the tree, and tried to stand up. Minau rose in front of her, and offered her hand. Usagi took it with a grateful smile. When she found her feet, she began to twist slightly to loosen the muscles in her back.

"How long did I sleep?"

"All through the night, and yesterday, and last night. The sun came up several hours ago. Where are we going now, Serenity?"

"I...all yesterday?!? That means it's...Sunday! I...I...I know I can sleep, but I slept a whole day?!?" She looked around her, then down at herself. Her school uniformed looked exactly as it should after being slept in for over twenty-four hours, stained, wrinkled, and probably beyond saving. She still only wore socks, no shoes. "Oh, Lord. And I can't go back to them. I'm not safe."

"Not safe?" Minau echoed, her voice confused. "From who?"

"_Iie,_ you don't understand. People aren't safe from _me._"

Those big eyes, now sparkling gold, blinked yet again. "Why not?"

"There's something inside of me, something...powerful. But it's dangerous."

"Do you know what it is?"

Usagi opened her mouth to voice a denial, then stopped, and slowly nodded her head. "I know...But I don't know it's name."

After a moment of silence, Minau stepped back, pursed her lips thoughtfully, and looked down. She thought, and Usagi found her eyes drawn downward, not the ground, but to Minau's dress. It reminded her forcibly of the gowns from the Silver Millennium, a froth of pale pink silk spilling from the bodice made high under her breasts. Loose sleeves, cut away to reveal her shoulders and upper arms, were pulled in tight at her wrists with buttons of some milky pink stone. Staring at those buttons, Usagi rubbed the palm of her hand, where a tiny cut still remained.

"Inanna."

Minau's head jerked up, and wide eyes the color of the rolling sea met hers. "Inanna. How do you know that name?"

"She...that's where you're from, isn't it?"

"Yes...no. Inanna is the name of our star. I am from Taraneh."

"Taraneh," Usagi echoed, remembering the beautiful pink gem in Inanna's cupped hands. "Are you...are you a Sailor Senshi?"

This made Minau draw backwards a step. "You know of the Sailor Senshi?"

"_Hai._ Of course. Here, the Sailor Senshi guard the Princess of the Moon. I've also met the Sailor Starlights, and they protect their Princess Kakyuu."

Minau nodded as she looked away yet again. "Yes, they do protect the Princess. My friends...I don't know where they are!"

A sob wracked her, and suddenly she raised both hands, and pressed them to her mouth. Her body shook with her weeping, and Usagi moved instinctively forward. She wrapped both arms around the other girl. Minau shook her head and tried to pull away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"It's okay," Usagi whispered soothingly. "I've spent so much time crying recently, a few more tears can't hurt me."

"I don't know where I am!" Minau cried out. "What happened?!? My father said so little, and he just pushed me into the crystal capsule, and he was shouting and everyone was crying, and I saw my friends but the capsule closed, and I think there was fire..._and I don't know where my Senshi are!_"

With that, her knees gave out. Usagi tried desperately to hold her up, but merely slowed their fall. Both girls collapsed to the ground, Minau sobbing wildly, her hands clawing at Usagi's back in her agony, and Usagi rocking her gently back and forth, there on the ground in her filthy uniform.

_Where are my friends?_ she wondered silently. _I hurt my friends, but...I just want to see them again. I want Mamo-chan to hold me, and I want Rei to yell at me, and Mako-chan to laugh with me, and Minako to make me smile, and Ami to tell me why it's all okay, and Haruka to threaten someone, and Michiru to soothe me, and Setsuna to tell me I'm strong, and Hotaru to hold me hand...I want my friends!_

"I want my Senshi!" Minau shrieked into her shoulder. "They are supposed to be with me! How could they _abandon me?!?_ How could my father send me out _alone?!? WHAT HAPPENED?!?_"

Usagi shook her head mutely. How could she tell this girl seized by fears and grief, alone in a strange world, that her star had exploded, and her home was destroyed? That her Senshi might be, and probably were, dead? That everything she loved was gone?

_She raced through the Moon Palace, the alarms shrieking, the guards rushing through the corridors, and looked wildly about her for her Senshi, or for her mother. She followed the flow of people out, onto the steps of the Palace, and stared in horror as she saw them, all those people, all so angry. The gates could not hold them back, and they flooded into the courtyard, and for the first time the people of the Silver Millennium were forced into battle. The people of Earth, fueled by the darkness in the sun, seemed to wash over the guards and the soldiers, leaving only blood in their wake._

_Filled with panic, she closed her eyes, and felt her body slipping away, to him, to Earth, to try and make some sense of this madness, and maybe, maybe, to find the one person who could stop it..._

"What happened?" Minau's voice dropped to a whisper. "Why do I feel so alone?"

"I am with you." Usagi promised Minau the same as she had promised the star that had once lit her world. "I will go with you, and I will stay with you until the end."

"But you don't even know me."

"I know...I knew someone who would want me to help you. Someone I promised to always love. Someone I lost."

Taking a deep breath, Minau pulled away. For a moment she studied the ground, wiping quickly at her eyes. Then she looked up, and stared hard into Usagi's face, and shook her head. "You are...very strange. But I think you are kind. So, where are we going together, Serenity?"

"Well, we can't stay under this tree forever," Usagi began slowly. "And I need some shoes, and different clothes, and you need different clothes because while that's a very pretty dress it might stand out a bit around here, and...and I'm hungry!"

"I am hungry, too," Minau said with a little sigh. "Where can we find all these things? Will we have to steal them? I have never had to find clothes or food before, you see, so I have no money, or anything to trade. The Princess of Taraneh has things just given to her."

"So did the Princess of the Moon," Usagi muttered. "I miss that."

With that tiny tip of the head Usagi suspected was characteristic of Minau, the other girl studied her thoughtfully. "You miss that?"

"I am...I was...you see, a long time ago...I have a head ache, and I'm hungry, and I'll explain later. Right now, I guess we'll have to go to my house. I'll have to explain everything to my mother, as best as I can, and we'll just go from there."

"Your mother," Minau said. "Yes, that sounds very good. And she will give us food?"

"And a bath," Usagi said with a rueful glance down at her clothes. "Now if we can just make it through Tokyo without being arrested..."

While the strange pair were not arrested, they did receive more than their fair share of shocked stares. As distracted as she was with everything else, Usagi managed to ignore all this, until she spotted something ahead of her that made her breath catch in her throat. She seized Minau's arm, and dove into the nearest cover, which happened to be a photo club booth. She whisked the curtain closed just as the figure outside began to walk by.

Then she gave a tiny sigh of relief, and slumped against the wall.

"Serenity?" a voice whispered in her ear. "What are we doing?"

She jumped, and looked over her shoulder into Minau's confused silver eyes. "_Gomen._ That was my friend. She's one of the people I'm trying to protect from myself, you see. So we had to hide from her."

They peeked cautiously through a crack in the curtain, and Usagi felt her heart falling as Ami's dark blue hair faded into the crowd.

"Okay," she said, and pretended her voice did not break, "we're safe. Let's go."

She took Minau's hand, and moved back into the flow of Tokyo.

The walk might have taken forever, or just a few minutes, Usagi could not tell. Suddenly her house was before her, and she could have wept with relief. She pulled Minau forward, and as the door opened, she broke into a run.

"Mama!"  
"Usagi!"

Only when she reached her mother did she let go of Minau, to throw both arms around the startled woman. She felt the other Princess stagger into her, and all three women crashed into the house, and the nearest wall. Most importantly, she felt her mother's arms close around her, and hold her close.

"Mama," she moaned, "I'm so tired, and I'm so hungry, and I'm all dirty, and-"

"Usagi, what happened to you?!? I thought you were staying with Makoto! The girls called and said you were staying a second night!" Ikuko gasped. "And...and who is this?"

"Oh, I am so very sorry!" Minau wailed, backing quickly out of the tangle of their embrace. "I didn't mean to...you see, Serenity had my hand, and we were running, so I thought I should keep running! Perhaps we were hiding again. I'm still very confused."

"Serenity? Who...? I don't...well, isn't that a pretty dress!" Ikuko smiled kindly at the visitor, then turned her head down to the daughter still clinging to her waist. "Usagi, will you please explain what happened to your uniform? And where are your shoes?"

"Mama, I have so much to explain to you, and I will, I promise, but we're both _so hungry!_ Can't I have something to eat? Then I'll tell you _everything._ I promise."

Ikuko paused, staring hard into Usagi's weary eyes. Whatever she saw there made her nod, and push back her daughter's bangs tenderly. "Alright, Usagi. Go wash your hands, and show your friend the bathroom too, and then we'll sit down and have some breakfast, and you can tell me what's wrong."

"_Arigatou,_ Mama," Usagi sighed, and finally released her death grip on her mother. "Oh! Right, this is Minau."

"Minau?" Ikuko repeated. "That's pretty. But it's not Japanese, is it?"

"_Ano_...Minau isn't from Japan, Mama."

"I see."

Stepping gracefully to the center of the hallway, Minau took her dress in both hands and executed a very pretty curtsey. "I am Minau, Princess of Taraneh, daughter of King Cyrus and Queen Vashti, and heir to the system of Inanna. I am very pleased to meet you."

"Oh!" Ikuko said slowly. "Well, uh, why don't I just call you Minau? Would that be alright?"

The Princess smiled wistfully. "Oh, yes, that would be fine. It is what my...my friends call me."

"Good. Usagi, take Minau to the bathroom, dear. I'll...make pancakes."

Usagi led Minau up the stairs and down the hall, past her brother's closed door. Just as her hand landed on the knob to the bathroom door, her eye caught on the telephone. She paused, then smiled slightly.

_I can't be near Mamo-chan, but I can still..._

"Here, Minau, you can wash your hands in here," she said quickly, opening the door and pointing to the sink. "I need to make a call."

"A call?"

"I need to speak to someone. I'll be just a second, okay?"

After nearly pushing the other Princess into the bathroom, she closed the door, hurried forward, and seized up the phone, punching in the familiar numbers. On the other end, it rang once, twice, three times. As the fourth ring began, Usagi felt her excitement drop, then soar as the welcoming click of an answer came.

"_Hai_?" someone panted into the phone.

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked slowly.

"_Iie,_ this is..._Princess?!?_"

"Nephrite?"

"_Hai,_ it's Nephrite! Where are you?!?"

"Nephrite, let me talk to Mamo-chan! Please!"  
She heard the scraping sound of a hand covering the receiver, but still she made out the words being hollered on the other end.

"Kunzite! Kunzite, stop Mamo-chan! I mean, Mamoru! Get him back in here!"

"We're late, Nephrite! The girls are going to-"

"Forget them, it's the Princess on the phone!"

Distant shouting was heard, and the sounds of running feet. A moment later, her eyes closed rapturously as she heard his breathless voice gasp her name.

"Usako?!?"

"Mamo-chan! Mamo-chan, are you alright?!?"

"Am _I _alright?!? What happened to you? Are you safe? Where are you?"

"_Gomen, gomen,_ I had to run away, but I'm safe, I promise I'm safe, but you aren't, I'm dangerous and I want you safe and I love you so much!"

"Usako, Usako, I love you, too. Please tell me where you are!"

She hesitated, desperate to keep him away, and desperate to have him near. "Mamo-chan, don't ask me, please don't ask-"

"Tell me where you are!" he all but shouted into the phone. "I _need _to know!"

"I'm...Mamo-chan, I'm at ho-"

The screech of electronics was the only warning she had. Usagi jerked the phone away from her ear, saw the silver mist coalescing around her hand, felt the power rushing from her body, and then the receiver exploded into a million pieces.

Usagi shrieked and leapt back.

_"Never...Earth and the Moon will never join...never..."_

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Usagi shrieked, pounding the heels of her clenched hands against her temples. "_Leave me alone!_"

"Serenity!"

"_Usagi!_"

Hands grasped her, two seizing her shoulders, two more her wrists and pulling her hands away. She opened her eyes to see her mother and Minau staring at her in shock. Both looked down to the shattered pieces of metal and plastic, then turned to the wall behind it. Usagi looked as well, and nearly collapsed in dispair when she saw the black mark there, like a negative image of the sun.

"Why won't it stop?" she whispered. "Mother, mother, what's wrong with me? How could you leave me now? _I need you! MOTHER!_"

"USAGI!"

The sharp pain in her cheek made her gasp in shock. She focused sharply on the face in front of her, on Ikuko's frightened eyes. Her mother still held one wrist tightly, but the other had been freed to deal Usagi the surprising slap.

"Usagi," Ikuko whispered, shaking her head weakly, "_what is going on?_"


	22. Chapter 22

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon, I own only the characters I have created, and the bizarre situations I keep thrusting them into..._

_A/N: I'm running late, so I'll just say a big thank you to everyone reading, remind you all that this is a sequel so you really should read "Out of the Abyss" first, and I swear I'll do all my personal thank yous next time. Gomen!_

"This isn't what I expected. It's so big!"

"It's so pretty!"

"Look, there, at the columns! They're fountains!"

"_Sugoi!_"

She knew the voices, but her mind refused to sort them out. She raised a hand to her forehead, and gave a little groan. Immediately, she heard people drawing closer, and through her eyelids she saw the light dim as shadows fell across her.

"Is she okay?"

"Is she waking up?"

"I think she is!"

"Can you hear us?"

"Hotaru-chan?"

At that voice, her eyes flew open.

"Chibiusa-chan!"

"Hotaru-chan!"

The little creature in the pink Senshi uniform with the buns on her head fell to her knees. Hotaru managed to struggle up into a sitting position, only to be flattened by the enthusiastic lunge-hug from her best-friend. She burst out laughing, and threw her arms around Chibiusa as well.

"Where did you come from?!?" Hotaru shrieked joyfully. "Oh, you don't know how much I've missed you!"

"Hehehe!" Chibiusa crowed in her ear. "Obviously, you need me around to keep you out of trouble! _How_ did you end up in that position, anyway?"

"What position?"

"The position," a fierce voice murmured, "of having your own Silence Glaive embedded in your chest."

Hotaru looked up through a gap in all the candy pink hair in her face, and blinked several times at the four figures in the Sailor Senshi uniforms.

"Ceres. Pallas. Juno. Vesta. Hi."

"_Konichiwa,_ Saturn-chan!" the smallest girl squealed, clapping her hands and swaying so the blue balls of her hair danced around her cheerful face. "Pallas is very happy to see you again!"

"Oh, Pallas, _please_ stop shrieking!" Ceres moaned, rubbing her forehead beneath her bangs, just a shade darker than Chibiusa's pigtails. "Honestly, how old are you?"

"Or," the tallest, and also the first to speak, said, lifting a green eyebrow, "you could chill out a bit. What are you so worried about? No one can see us, you know."

"But Juno," the last said, pulling uncertainly on the end of her red ponytail, "this is still a dangerous area. We _aren't suppose to be here!_ Pluto's going to kill us!"

Chibiusa finally sat up, and pulled Hotaru up as well. "Relax, Vesta, Plu isn't going to kill us."

"She's gonna be pissed," Juno reminded her with a shrug.

"Well...yeah. But this was necessary!"

Hotaru waved her hands to regain the attention of the future Princess and her four guardians. "Whoa, whoa, everybody slow down! What was necessary?"

"Kidnapping you!" Pallas cried cheerfully. "But look, now that you're here, with us, and in the past, you don't have that Glaive thing in your chest! Aren't you glad we came to get you?"

"Why do you keep saying-Oh, my God!" Hotaru shouted, and looked down, her hands flying to her chest. There was her white uniform top, and her purple bow, and no tear, no blood, and no Silence Glaive. She ran her fingers over her torso several times to be sure, then shook her head. "The Glaive! It _attacked_ me!"

"How could it do that?" Ceres asked. "The Glaive isn't animated. Is it?"

"Not only is it animated, it's sentient."

"Sentient?" Pallas repeated slowly, glancing around at her sisters. "What is sentient?"

"Beats me," Juno, slightly bored, said with a shrug. "Are you saying the Glaive is alive?"

"_Hai!_" Ceres, Vesta, Chibiusa, and Hotaru chorused.

"And thinking," Hotaru added. "It chased me around before it managed to, you know..."

"Stab you? Impale you? Gut you?"

"Juno!" the other three cried.

"Well, it did!"

"Moving on!" Ceres shouted over her. "That's probably why the Glaive didn't follow you back with us. At least, I rather hope it didn't."

"I don't think it did," Hotaru said, though she looked worriedly about her. "Um, guys? _Where are we?!?_"

Vesta leaned down, seized both her hands, and hauled her unceremoniously to her feet, leaving Chibiusa to Ceres. "Where we are, my dear, is on the Moon. The more interesting question is _when_ we are."

"When?"

"We are at the very beginning of the Silver Millennium, before the woman we think of as Queen Serenity is Queen. Right now, she is the Princess and heir. In fact, I don't even think this is called the Silver Millennium yet."

"You mean," Hotaru said slowly, "we're at the time when the Abyss was created."

"Actually, we aimed to be a few days _before_ the creation of the Abyss," Ceres took over. "We need to see what happened. What went wrong."

"We know what went wrong," Hotaru argued. "One of our ancestors broke the circle, and the Abyss got out of control."

"But how, and why?" Ceres said, raising one finger importantly. "That's what we're here to find out."

"So, Saturn-chan," said Pallas, turning with her wide, childish smile, "where do we go?"

It took Hotaru by surprise to find them all staring expectantly at her.

"Why in the cosmos are you asking me?"

"But...Hotaru-chan," Chibiusa said slowly, "you're the only one of us who was alive in the Silver Millennium. You're the only one who ever visited the Moon Palace before it was destroyed."

"Visited the...Are you crazy?" Hotaru asked. "I'm _Sailor Saturn!_ The Sailor Senshi of Silence, Destruction, Ruin, Death and Rebirth! They weren't supposed to wake me up, unless something _really_ bad happens, such as a _war_ that basically _destroys_ our kingdom, and then they need me to come and clean everything off the map so things can be properly reborn! In fact, that was one of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto's main jobs! The Outer Senshi were never to come together, because all their talismans would _wake me up_. Which, of course, didn't work out so great, because then Setsuna-mama was never allowed to go to court and join everyone else for their balls, and then there's Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa, and we all know how _that_ went, but anyway, to make a long story short, I've never been here before."

Chibiusa gazed at her with a slightly opened mouth, then slowly turned to her guardians. Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta all looked back, blinking wide, startled eyes.

"_Ano_...uh-oh," Pallas muttered, and began to wring her hands.

"So, we kidnapped Sailor Saturn, and drugged Sailor Galaxia, as well as Pallas almost blowing her up, and we still have no idea where to look in the Moon Palace, or the Silver Millennium in general?" Juno clarified. "Oh, yeah. Pluto's gonna kill us."

"Let's just stay calm," Ceres cut in, raising her hands for silence. "If we hadn't brought Saturn into the past, she would still be catatonic and impaled. We're no worse off than if we came alone, and she's much better off. So, let's just look around us, and see what we see."

Vesta leaned closer to whisper in Juno's ear, but her voice carried to them all. "Does it frighten you when she makes sense?"

"Look around," Chibiusa said, hiding her own little smile. "What looks promising?"

Hotaru finally took the time to do exactly that, and looked slowly around her. Her breath caught, and despite herself, she felt tears start to her eyes. For the first time in any lifetime, she saw all around her the perfect, pristine Moon Palace, before the war, before the fall, before the end. The one place as forbidden to her as it had ever been to the people of Earth.

They stood just outside the immense, silver Palace doors, which stood at least ten feet tall, and, together, spanned nearly an equal width. The tops arched high above the six girls' heads, and at nearly eight feet up, following the curve of the arc, symbols had been engraved in the silver. At first Hotaru wondered if it were some ancient, lost writing, until her eyes focused more closely. There were ten symbols, in fact, and she knew them well.

"Look," she whispered to Chibiusa. "See? All the planet symbols!"

"Looks like," Ceres said, moving to join them. "Except...what is that? There between Mercury and the Moon."

"I've never seen that," Hotaru admitted. "Unless...maybe. When we followed Sailor Moon into the Abyss, and we were trying to get out...Mamoru had a symbol, like the Senshi do, on his forehead. It _might_ be that one."

The other three shuffled forward as well, and gazed up at the door.

"I wonder why they're all there, on the doors to the Moon Palace," Vesta mused. "That's odd."

After a moment more of staring, Hotaru turned her attention away. She laid her fingertips upon the white marble beside one door, and walked slowly along, dragging her touch across the smooth, unbroken wall until it fell back to merge with the main body of the Palace, leaving the entrance standing forward, grand and imposing. The wall of the Palace stretched on and on, dotted with tall, slender windows where she could see fluttering curtains. Suddenly she felt the tiny breeze moving around the Palace, tugging at her hair and skirt, and bringing with it a soft scent, like vanilla, or perhaps some spring flowers, a scent she had smelled clinging to Usagi's skin.

Further on, after what seemed almost a mile, the shining, fair skin of the Palace swelled gently, adding soft curves to the sleek figure. Hotaru's eyes travelled up the white walls, and saw the simple beauty was adorned with intricate jewels of blue and silver, worked into a delicate, scalloped roof.

"So beautiful," Vesta murmured from somewhere behind her. "I can't believe I'm actually seeing it."

Hotaru lifted a trembling hand to her lips, and turned. She walked swiftly back the way she had come, and away from the doors. Before them lay the steps of the Moon Palace, a cascade of flawless marble spilling down into the courtyard of flowers below. The gardens stretched out and away, and there at the edge, where green met the cool white sands of the Moon, she knew there would be, in the time of Queen Serenity, the tall silver gates. But now the sight was unbroken. A single path of Moon sand led through the flowering shrubs, lined with towering columns of the same marble, each bedecked with swirling bowls of silver and blue. More amazing, water gushed up from the bowls to trickle down the pale pillars with a soft, soothing sound.

"And you've never seen this?" Juno murmured behind her. "Any of this?"

A quick hand over her cheeks dashed away the one tear that had managed to break free. Hotaru tried valiantly to keep her voice steady as she said, "_Iie._ I...I wasn't welcome here. I wasn't welcome anywhere. The only time I saw this place, the sand, the marble, the very curtains in the windows were red with blood. _That's_ what I remember of the Silver Millennium. Loneliness, and blood, and bodies. And then I lowered my Glaive...and it was all gone."

"Hotaru-chan," Chibiusa whispered, and she heard the other girl take several steps closer.

A sudden stillness of the breeze froze the girls in their places. Hotaru allowed only her eyes to move as the curtains fell limp, and the flowers ceased to dance. She felt something strange, a gathering, a pressure in the air.

It began at the base of the steps. Hotaru blinked twice to be certain she saw it. Something swirled there, at the bottom, something dark that seemed to gather the very shadows of the Palace. Under their feet, they all felt a low throbbing, slow, but gaining in momentum. A spear of dark purple energy appeared, then a second, and then a third, slicing up through the circling darkness.

"What is it?" Chibiusa gasped, drawing up against Hotaru's back. "Blessed Selenity, is _that_ the Abyss?!?"

"I don't..._iie._ Look!"

From within the darkness, a slender, dark skinned hand emerged. Moments later, a head broke through, a strong male face, with high cheek bones and brilliant scarlet eyes, framed by a long mane of deep green hair. Powerful shoulders came next, and a thick torso, encased in black armor. In the center of his chest, embedded in the very metal, was a familiar garnet orb. Black leather pants and boots covered his legs, and from a thick silver chain around his waist dangled four silver keys. He stepped free of the swirling darkness, then turned and reached back in with one gloved hand to draw out a thick, simple silver staff.

"That...that isn't Plu's staff," Chibiusa breathed into Hotaru's ear. "But the jewel, and the hair, and his eyes..."

"That must be the ancient King of Pluto," Hotaru agreed. "And you're sure he can't see us?"

"Positive," Vesta said behind them.

With a wave of the staff, the dark portal began to fade away. The King of Pluto did not wait to watch, but turned away, and looked up the stairs. His eyes narrowed suddenly, and then he smiled faintly, with the same mysterious smile Hotaru knew and loved on Setsuna.

"I know you are there," he said. "I can see you, Saturn."


	23. Chapter 23

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon, I own only the characters I have created, and the bizarre situations I keep thrusting them into..._

_A/N: Now for a little break from the angsts...and a catch up on my thank yous! So, thanks go out to Lysia Croft (ah-hah, someone remembered the epilogue of Abyss! well done, and voices will be explained, as will the younger girls running about the timeline, and King Pluto's last words) Sabrina (wow, thanks for everything, and I hope to make everything perfectly clear...by the end of the story :-P) Bin82501 (we're taking the intensity down a knotch, but I'll be kicking it back up in the next few chapters, and if you think your interested to see how this all ends, I'm real excited!) Artemis-chan of Redwing (Minau is a nice girl, I hope everyone likes her, and it's about time Ikuko-mama got brought in on everything) Lalaitha Yamainu (hang on, the story of that little voice in Usagi's head is just gonna get weirder, and Ikuko is going to do what only a mother can for Usagi) goldnheart (the Abyss is sort of in another dimension, but because of Usagi's position as Princess of the Moon, she is capable of communicating with the Abyss whether she wants to or not, and there are about to be a great number of Senshi running about, and here is some psuedo Senshi/Shitennou scenes for you) James Birdsong (thank you) mlkoolc86 (Usagi's had a hard couple of days, she needed a nap...and Mamoru's determined to see his Princess again, you get to meet all the ancestors in the past, just so you know) astra-kelly (Minau is just another Princess, like Kakyuu, and poor Ikuko-mama doesn't know what's about to hit her, Pluto is a goodguy, but he's pretty damn powerful, so he can do just about anything he wants) Aphrodite's Kiss (Setsuna's ancestor is awesome...does that surprise you? ;-P apparently I love the Quartet and Chibiusa too, so no, not strange at all) Isis Aurora Tomoe (excited for you and your phone, sweetie, and everyone's onboard with Minau, love it! hope you feel the same way about all the ancestors, and not just Pluto) snoopykid2991 (I am going for more, but thank you) Sin Katt (how about discussions of Rei/Jade secks...) _

Crossing the dry grass of late summer, Ami chewed her lower lip. She heard the crackling beneath her feet, felt the hot wind tossing around the blue waves of her hair, and smelled the humidity in the air, but she saw nothing. She knew people moved around her, others spending a lazy day wandering around a public park, or perhaps picnicking to enjoy the last vestiges of summer. None of those people knew what she did, that this might be not just the last day of summer, but the last day of Earth.

_I'd almost prefer an attack to this unending waiting, this constant feeling of...of some storm that refuses to break!_

She fell to the seat of the Senshi's favored table, and reached automatically for her computer, tucked into her backpack. Her fingers fumbled for the switch, and she closed her eyes, and listened to the soft _whir_ of the computer coming awake. When she opened her eyes, she knew the screen would be alive with light, with numbers and figures, things she could quantify, things she could list, things that would _make sense._

_I need _something_ to make sense! Oh, God, I wish Usagi would come home. I wish...I wish Mamoru didn't need the Shitennou. I want to talk to Zoisite._

Ami opened her eyes, and moved her fingers to the keys. All the usual read-outs were there, unusual power sources, the locations of the other Senshi (Usagi was noticeably absent), time, temperature, weather...Her eyes scanned the information over and over again. Not one word, not one number, made any sense to her.

"_Kami,_" she groaned, dropping her head to her hands. "What are we going to do?"

"Ami?"

She jerked herself upright, her hand flying to her pocket, and her wand hidden there. Then she relaxed, and shook her head at Minako, who stared at her in alarm.

"_Gomen,_ Mina-chan," she sighed. "I just...I think I'm getting a little jumpy."

"Aren't we all?" the blonde muttered, dropping onto the bench across from her. "Every time the wind rattled a tree limb, I thought for sure something had escaped from the Abyss and was attacking. I swear, I dialed every number for Mamoru's phone but the last a thousand times, just to hear Kunzite's voice. But every time I stopped, because I was so afraid Mamoru would think it was Usagi, and...it just seemed mean."

"I actually put on my coat," a voice said from behind them, "and got halfway down the block before I figured showing up at Mamoru's at two a.m. would probably send all the boys into a panic."

Makoto sat down beside Ami, facing the other way, and leaned her back against the table. Suddenly, she smiled.

"Though the image of them all running around in just sweatpants, or maybe boxers, almost kept me going."

Ami and Minako both laughed weakly. Minako moved her wrist to see her watch, then, her eyebrows going up, raised a hand in greeting. Looking over her shoulder, Ami saw Haruka and Michiru, arm-in-arm, moving towards them.

"_Konichiwa, minna,_" Michiru greeted them. She laid a hand briefly on Ami's hair, and smiled down into the startled blue eyes. "Ami-chan. _You'll_ stayaround a while, won't you?"

"_Nani?_" Ami murmured. "Michiru, are you alright?"

"Hotaru is gone. Chibiusa and the Sailor Quartet came and took her while we were speaking with Amaterasu," Michiru said, her voice strangely flat. "I don't know where. Setsuna has left with Galaxia. Usagi..." She closed her eyes, and shook her head. "I'm not used to having a family. Maybe that's why I'm becoming so clingy."

Haruka slid her arm out of her lover's, but only so she could wrap it around Michiru's slim waist. With a deep breath, Michiru opened her eyes, and smiled.

"_Gomen._"

"Come sit down, Michiru," Makoto said softly. "You look tired."

"We spent all night helping Setsuna get ready to leave," Haruka explained, guiding Michiru to the bench beside Minako. "It's so stupid, but it felt like we were saying goodbye to her. We didn't even get that much with Hotaru."

"You said, Chibiusa and the Quartet? How do you know it was them?" Ami asked.

"Luna heard them. And our Small Lady left Luna-P Ball in Hotaru's bedroom," Haruka explained. "Besides, _someone_ threw an exploding billiard ball into the room, and knocked Galaxia out."

"Pallas did _what?_" Makoto cried in alarm. "_Why?!?_"

"Because they were fairly certain that we wouldn't allow them to take Hotaru and go running about the time line, doing the gods only know what," Michiru said.

Makoto glanced at the other two Inner Senshi with raised brows. "They're using the keys to the Gates of Time? Oh, Setsuna must have been really thrilled."

"_Hai,_ well, I suppose this was an emergency," Michiru admitted grudgingly. "But I don't have to like it."

"Of course not, love," Haruka said indulgently.

"I'm surprised the boys aren't here yet," Ami said, glancing at the clock in the lower right corner of her computer screen. "They're running late. And where's Rei?"

"Here she comes," Minako interrupted her. "Wow. She must have gotten a much better sleep than the rest of us. She looks...cheerful."

Like the others, Ami craned around to look towards her friend. At the very edge of the park, Rei had paused, a hand raised to play with something dangling from a chain around her neck, the skirt of her dark blue sundress fluttering around her knees. She bent down to smell a flower, inhaling slowly and letting her eyes flutter shut. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She reached out to trace the flesh of the flower with one finger, dragging the touch down the throat of the blossom slowly.

"_Ano_...since when has Rei liked flowers so much?" Makoto asked slowly.

"I have a better question," Haruka added, her voice harsh. "What time did Jadeite go home last night? He _did_ go home, didn't he?"

"Goodness, love, what are you implying?" Michiru cried.

"You know damn well what I'm implying! _Look_ at her!"

"Haruka!" Minako shrieked softly. "Just because Rei is in a good...a _really_ good mood, doesn't mean that she...that Jadeite...she wouldn't!"

"Why not?" Makoto asked, coming surprisingly to Haruka's support. "Rei loves Jadeite. Jadeite loves Rei. We've all heard the way they talk to each other. So they might have made love. It's natural."

"It's going to be harder for him to get 'natural' when I break his friggin' legs," the enraged Senshi of Wind snarled.

"Oh, really, Haruka!" Michiru snapped, coming more alive. "By the time we were seventeen, we were well past the first blush of love. Hell, we were already living together, and sharing a bed every night, and you know as well as I do it wasn't just to stay warm. If Setsuna were here, she could back me up. She's not deaf, you know."

"I'm not entirely comfortable with this conversation," Ami said slowly. "Anyway, you're all forgetting one important fact. Rei is a _miko!_ Remember? They're pure!"

All five young women turned in time to see Rei pluck the flower, and slide it into her hair, and behind her ear. Her fingers trailed down her throat, then slowly across her collar bone, and down the top swell of her breast, to close again on her necklace.

Though she could not see her, Ami knew Haruka shook her head as she spoke again.

"Miko-schmiko, she got laid."

"So it would appear," Michiru agreed. "And you just leave Jadeite alone! With a smile like that, I would say he did everything right!"

"Wow," Makoto murmured, dropping her voice as Rei drew closer. "Do girls always look like that after their first time?"

This time Ami caught both Michiru and Haruka shaking their heads.

"Actually, they usually look vaguely confused and disappointed," Michiru said. "Very rarely is a girl's first time all she thought it would be. But, those are the risks you take when you decide to sleep with men."

Ami looked at her in awe. "How do you know all this? _You _don't even sleep with men!"

"Art school is strangely educational on such matters. That many angsting souls with artistic dreams suddenly stumbling upon others who understand their pain...throw in some adolescent hormones, and the place is a nightmare. Thankfully, I stumbled upon a soul that truly understood my own, a soul that had been searching for mine, who swooped me up in her gleaming sports car and took me away from all that."

"_You_ were looking for _me,_" Haruka reminded her with an accusing glare. "You already knew all about the Sailor Senshi bit, and were searching for your partner to help you save the world."

"You tell the story your way, I'll tell it mine."

Michiru gave Haruka a smile of dazzling sweetness as Rei finally stopped beside the table.

"So, my beautiful sisters-in-arms," she nearly sang out, "what are we discussing so seriously this lovely morning?"

"Whether or not Jadeite ever went home," Makoto said baldly. "Did he?"

"Mako-chan!" Rei gasped, raising her free hand to her cheek as though embarrassed. "Of course he did!"

"When?" Haruka demanded.

"About...two hours ago. He needed fresh clothes," Rei said, a smug smile coming to her lips. "But he didn't need a shower. I let him use mine."

"Is that the only thing of yours you let him use?" Haruka asked.

"He used my comb, too."

"That is _not_ what I-"

"Haruka, it's none of your business," Michiru cut in firmly. "Unless Rei wants to tell us the details, she doesn't have to."

"_Arigatou,_ Michiru," Rei said. "And I _don't_ want to share the details. They're personal."

Makoto's jaw dropped. "You aren't going to tell us? REI! You had-!"

"Mako-chan! Don't shriek it! Not everyone needs to know!"

"Well, you better start talking, girl!"

"No chance in hell!"

During this exchange, Ami merely stared curiously at her friend. Rei looked the same as always, despite the little smile hovering on her lips. She did not appear any older, or any wiser, or any more of a _woman_ than she had the day before. In fact, without miko clothes, or a school uniform, or even a Senshi uniform, she looked merely like...Rei.

Yet somwehere in her mind, buried deep beneath the life of Mizuno Ami, the Princess of Mercury remembered..._water lapping at her skin, and Zoisite's voice in her ears, and every sensation seemed magnified a million times, and she gasped for breath and held on tight..._

_"I love you, Zoisite. So much..."_

Ami shook her head, uncertain if it were a memory, or merely a dream, and focused on her friend again.

"I guess," she murmured slowly, "it isn't that big of a deal, then, is it?"

For the first time, Rei did look a little conscious, ducking her head and letting her hair fall around her face. "Well, I don't know about _that._ It changes things, of course, but...in a good way. I really do love Jadeite, and I have no doubts that he loves me."

"Because he wanted to sleep with you? That just means your breathing," Haruka muttered.

The other four pointedly ignored her, but Rei spun around to give her a blazing glare.

"_Iie._ It was _my_ idea, and when I first...advanced the idea, _he_ tried to back out, because he didn't want me to think he just wanted me for my body!"

"So then why did he...go for it?" Minako winced a little at her own words, but kept her eyes fixed curiously on Rei's face.

"Because he's only human, and I was taking his clothes off."

"Wow," Ami, Makoto, and Minako chorused.

Michiru lifted a hand to her mouth, hiding her giggles. When she could control her features, she merely smiled at Rei, and said, "That was very..._strong_ of you. How long did you have to work to get him to take _your_ clothes off?"

"Oh, Lord, at least twenty minutes, once I convinced him I was serious, and not just joking," Rei sighed, finally sinking onto the bench beside Makoto. "For a second I thought he was going to bolt out the door!"

"Wow," Haruka said in her turn. "Alright, so maybe it is love, and not just sex."

Michiru dropped her head onto her folded arms as the younger girls gaped at Haruka.

"_Arigatou,_" Rei said slowly. "I think. Anyway, while it is certainly a big deal for me, it isn't exactly going to change the world as we know it, let alone save it. The boys should be here by now. What's taking them so long?"

"They're probably quizzing Jadeite," Makoto guessed. "That's it? That's all you have to say about it?"

"Well, what else do you want to know?"

"What was it like?" Minako, ever the Senshi of Love, immediately asked, leaning in and dropping her voice. "Does it really hurt the first time? Weren't you scared? Was any of it gross? Is it like the movies at all?"

"Minako," Rei groaned. "Fine. In order: lot's of fun, a little bit, not at all, just a few akward moments, and what movies have you been watching, anyway?"

"Rei!" Ami interrupted before Minako could answer, as something very important occured to her. "Were you careful?"

"Well, we didn't fall out of the bed or anything, and I don't think I left any _lasting_ injuries on him."

"_Iie,_ I mean _careful._ Did you use a...a...you know?"

"I _don't_ know, Ami."

"Oh, for the love of-She means 'did you use a condom'!" Haruka snapped.

"I...oh, my God."

"Oh, my God!" Ami, Minako, and Makoto gasped. "You _didn't?!?_"

"I didn't think!" Rei moaned. "I mean, I take the pill, to regulate, you know? But that isn't foolproof! What...what should I do?!?"

"Try breathing," Michiru said, lifting her head finally. "Relax! How long have you been taking the pill?"

"About a year."

Michiru smiled slightly. "Nothing is foolproof, Rei-chan. I don't think you got yourself pregnant last night. I know you love Jadeite, and things happened quickly, but just think ahead next time."

"Wait a minute!" Haruka cut in swiftly. "You said it yourself, nothing is foolproof. Rei-chan, the only thing to do is to _never_ have sex _again._"

"Shut up, Haruka!" Michiru growled, pinching her arm sharply.

"It might not be a problem," Minako said, glancing yet again at her watch. "The boys seemed to have disappeared from the surface of the Earth. Where _are_ they?"


	24. Chapter 24

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon, I own only the characters I have created, and the bizarre situations I keep thrusting them into..._

Nephrite jerked his head up from the couch cushion as he heard a key turn in the lock. He slipped his dagger from underneath the pillows. A slight movement from the floor told him Zoisite was also awake, and aware of the door opening, ever so slowly. A sliver of light appeared on the floor, and began to widen. A silhouette moved against the light, slipping through the smallest crack in the door, and turning to push it closed.

"Whose there?" Nephrite demanded harshly, rolling off the couch, and onto his feet. "Identify yourself!"

"Blessed Sol, Nephrite, it's just me!"

"_Jadeite?_" Zoisite also rose, a little less gracefully, but quickly. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"You really have to ask?"

The shadowy figure drew closer, and proved to be none other than Jadeite. Nephrite lowered his blade, and fell backwards onto the couch with a muffled groan. Yawning, Zoisite moved to one of the chairs, and also sat. A moment later, Jadeite dropped into the other chair, ran a hand over his damp hair, and took his turn to yawn.

"Why are the curtains drawn so tight?" he asked, pointing to the windows with one elbow. "You know the sun is up, right?"

"You didn't leave until the sun came up," Zoisite said. "Wow. You've got quite a set on you, my friend. Kunzite's ready to kill you, and I doubt Haruka will be much better. Was it worth it?"

"I refuse to answer that question," Jadeite responded, "because to do so would be to admit to doing something I have not yet admitted to."

"Admit it, don't admit it, it doesn't matter," Nephrite said, laying his head back and closing his eyes. "There's no way Rei can keep a secret like that to herself. If you did do what you don't admit to doing, she's going to tell at least the rest of the Inner Senshi, and if you think my Mako-chan isn't going to tell me _that,_ you've lost what was left of your mind."

"I didn't know there was any of it left," Zoisite mused sleepily. "But I'm pretty sure Ami will also be sharing this little piece of information with me, and wanting to hear your take on it, so stop being a smug ass and just say it."

"Say what? Come on, Zoisite, ask me to sully a fair maiden's name."

"If the answer is 'yes', then she ain't exactly a maiden anymore, is she?"

"But she is still fair," Nephrite added, raising a finger in Zoisite's general direction. "You can't deny that."

"Fine, Rei is a very pretty young lady, now just say it, Jadeite!"

"Say what?"

"You son of a-"

"What's going on?"

Nephrite turned his head and opened his eyes as Kunzite appeared, closing Mamoru's door behind him. He scratched his head until his eyes landed on Jadeite. Then they narrowed, and he pointed with his own dagger.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"We're working on that," Zoisite said. "He won't admit to anything, though."

"Why not? Did you commit a crime or something, Jadeite?" Kunzite asked harshly.

"I don't believe it is a crime, despite what our illustrious Prince felt the need to inform a plane full of people several nights ago," Jadeite responded. "Where did _you_ just come from?"

"I fell asleep on the foot of Mamoru's bed," Kunzite said, sitting on the other side of the couch from Nephrite.

Jadeite looked at Zoisite with one raised brow. "And you want to know what _I_ was doing last night?"

"Well_,_ _I_ do!" his leader interrupted. "I have no need to defend myself. _I_ was worried about Mamoru! With Usagi missing-"

"You felt he needed someone else to cuddle with at night? Next time send in Zoisite. At least his hair is the right color."

"So is yours!" Zoisite shot back.

"Will you knock it off?!?" Kunzite barked at them all. "Everything is going straight to hell, and damn it, Jadeite, you choose now to go play bed games!"

The door behind him opened once more, and Mamoru stuck his head out, blue eyes glazed and confused. He glanced around the room, saw his wayward guardian, and nodded a greeting. "There you are. When did you get back?"

"Just now," Jadeite admitted shamelessly. "You haven't missed much. Zoisite is asking overly personal questions, and there is a fifty-percent chance Kunzite is going to stick that dagger somewhere I'm not going to like. Did _I_ miss anything?"

"I had a horrible nightmare, and I'm doubting the word of a goddess that Usako is as safe as she should be. Why did it take you so long to get home?"

"You sit over by Zoisite, so I can ignore you both at the same time. As for _your_ vulgar choice of words, Kunzite, I am _not_ playing any kind of games! Well, not with Rei, at any rate. Anything that may or may not have happened last night happened because I happen to love that woman more than anything in this universe."

"There were a lot of 'happens' in that sentence," Nephrite noted, lazily rubbing at his eyes.

"You like Rei more than us?" Zoisite asked with a rather pathetic look.

"At this particular moment..."

"Jadeite," Mamoru muttered, leaning on the back of Zoisite's chair, "_love_ isn't the point. I've loved Usagi since she was fourteen, but for the most part, I've kept my hands off her."

"There are many things wrong with you," Jadeite shot back. "Alright, my liege, whom I love, respect, and have sworn my undying loyalty to, I want you to listen very, very carefully to the words coming out of my mouth. She. Is. SEVENTEEN! Show some life, man! If you keep treating her like a child, it isn't surprising she doesn't feel like you see her as anything more than a little girl who needs a big protector man. Besides, how the hell do you intend to have a child with a woman you won't even touch?"

"I never said I wouldn't touch her," Mamoru snapped, "I said I would remember who she is right now!"

"You're an idiot."

"Jadeite, shut up," Nephrite cut in. "If Mamoru and Kunzite can't tell you what to do in your relationship, you can't tell Mamoru how to look at Usagi. This isn't exactly what we should be worrying about at this moment, anyway."

"Nephrite is right," Kunzite added. "So can you _please_ curb your desires while we're in a state of emergency?"

"Always the General," Zoisite sighed. "Calm down, Kunzite. It isn't like he swooped through her window and raped her."

"I never said he did. And I am the last person to argue with caring for a Senshi, even during a time of war. You can love Rei all you want-"

"I did," Jadeite said around a yawn. "Three times. Not always in the same position. Once in the shower. There are the details. Anything else you want to know?"

Nephrite waved a hand at him. "_Iie,_ my friend, that is plenty, thank you."

"More than enough," Zoisite said, and Nephrite could swear he was blushing. "I just wanted an admission of guilt. That qualifies as a little too much information."

Jadeite turned slowly to look at the slight, golden haired man across from him, and now both eyebrows were up. "This from the man who, admittedly in another life, chose to make love to his Princess in the middle of a lake."

There could no longer be any doubt that Zoisite was blushing, as red suffused his entire face, neck, and much of his chest. "How...did...you...know...that?"

"It was a lake in the middle of the royal garden, Zoisite," Mamoru broke in. "Hell, you're lucky we're the only ones who knew. I did my best to spin Serenity around and get her back the other way, but I think she saw, because she was giggling for nearly ten minutes after that."

"I have no doubt Jupiter saw," Nephrite added. "She pointed it out to me."

"Venus and I saw it as well," Kunzite muttered, studying the ceiling sheepishly. "Of course, as the Senshi of Love, she quite applauded your devotion to her friend, and the romantic side of sharing...that moment together in water, as it is Mercury's element, but it was a bit awkward."

"Mars tripped over her own feet, and just about brought me down with her," Jadeite finished. "Then she just stood there and said, 'Mercury? That can't be...Mercury! That can't be!'"

"How _long_ did she stand there and say that?!?" Zoisite demanded, sitting up straighter, his face horrified.

"Just until Jupiter chased the rest of us back the other way. We were all together, you know," Jadeite explained. "It's not like we were all just wandering around looking to see if you and Mercury might have been skinny dipping together."

"Oh, blessed Helios, I don't believe this. Never, _never_ tell Mercury!"

"No kidding," Nephrite said, tossing his dagger down beside him and preparing to rise. "First dibs on the shower, guys. I'm always the last one in, and I'm sick of cold showers!"

Jadeite gestured graciously towards the door. "Not a problem, brother. I'm good."

"I'm gonna throw you in a cold shower," Mamoru muttered menacingly. "But first...coffee."

"_Coffee!_" Zoisite crowed eagerly, launching himself from his chair. "I'll make it!"

"_IIE!_" the other four shouted.

A glance over his shoulder as he reached the bathroom door showed Nephrite standing over Zoisite, dagger drawn and eyes narrowed.

"Your coffee, Zoisite, is roughly like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart! You just stay where you are."

"I'll make it," Mamoru called from the kitchen. "And I think at some point we should maybe buy some food."

"We can get some on our way," Kunzite decreed.

"On our way where?" Jadeite asked.

Nephrite rolled his eyes, and started the water in the shower.

A little more than an hour later, five handsome, showered, and dressed young men assembled before Mamoru's door. Daggers were hidden under clothes, and several arguments raised over food, during which Mamoru returned short, distracted answers. Nephrite winced a little as his Prince tried to force his attention to his friends, and to force his smile to actually mean something. After finding Makoto once more, and finding she could, indeed, fall in love with him again, it had been terrible to tear himself away, even for just a few months. The Shitennou had decided on the trip to give the Senshi a chance to catch their breath, and to react to the reality of the present, instead of the dreams of the past.

_"I never stopped loving you."_

Perhaps he had not really come back to life until he heard those words.

"Fine, fine, doghnuts," Kunzite agreed at last, herding them all out the door, "but when everyone weighs two-hundred pounds, I want you to remember-"

The phone rang, cutting him off before Jadeite could.

"It's the girls," Zoisite said, turning back towards the apartment. "We should get it."

"They're gonna be mad as it is, at least this way they'll know we're on our way," Jadeite argued as he tried to move him forward.

"Or," Mamoru said, pushing them both back the other way, "they'll be worried, or there's an emergency that trumps donoughts."

"You're thinking like Kunzite, now," Jadeite warned him.

Nephrite turned and pushed the door open again. "This is ridiculous. You guys go, I'll tell the girls we're on the way!"

He knew the phone was on its last ring, so he broke into a run to get across the living room. He seized up the receiver with a breathless, "_Hai?_"

"Mamo-chan?" an uncertain voice asked.

"_Iie,_ this is..." Suddenly, the identity of that voice hit him. "_Princess?!?_"

"Nephrite?" came the response.

"_Hai,_ it's Nephrite!" he assured her, looking quickly to the open door. The others had already disappeared from sight. "Where are you?!?"

"Nephrite," Usagi cried desperately, "let me talk to Mamo-chan! Please!"

Immediately, he covered the receiver with one hand, and shouted for all he was worth.

"Kunzite! Kunzite, stop Mamo-chan!" Nephrite winced. "I mean, Mamoru! Get him back in here!"

His leader's annoyed voice floated back from the hallway. "We're late, Nephrite! The girls are going to-"

"Forget them," Nephrite ordered harshly, "it's the Princess on the phone!"

Somewhere further on, he heard Jadeite curse, and Zoisite call, "Mamoru! Mamoru, it's Usagi on the phone!"

Seconds late, Mamoru pelted through the door, his eyes wild, terrified, and elated all at once. He snatched the phone from Nephrite's hands, and pressed it to his ear as though that would bring his love into the room.

"Usako?!?" he demanded, or perhaps pleaded. He listened, and shook his head. "Am _I _alright?!? What happened to you? Are you safe? Where are you?"

By now, Kunzite, Jadeite, and Zoisite had joined Nephrite, gathered around the phone and watching Mamoru's face earnestly. Even Jadeite's face had been wiped of all laughter or mockery, and his eyes filled with a protectiveness and fierceness known to few who were alive, but which had marked his rise to the rank of a Shitennou.

"Usako," Mamoru moaned, "Usako, I love you, too. Please tell me where you are!"

Whatever Usagi said seemed to break something in Mamoru. His knuckles whitened as he clung to the phone, and his voice rose to a shout that drove his friends back a step.

"Tell me where you are! I _need_ to know!"

Nephrite felt a flicker of hope that they would know, that Usagi would be restored to Mamoru, and to all of them. His Prince's face lightened for a second. Then he shouted and jerked the phone from his ear as a strange wailing came from the phone. Kunzite struck it from his hand, and before it even hit the ground, it exploded in a shower of super heated plastic.

"_What in all the rings of hell?!?_" Jadeite yelled as he pushed Mamoru automatically several steps further back. "What just happened?!?"

"Shut up!" Nephrite order, lifting a hand. "Listen! Do you hear...?"

The suddenly intent expressions on his friends' faces answered him in full. All five young men stood silent and still, and listened to the strange whisper floating up from the shattered phone.

"_Never to have...never to be trusted...she is mine._"

A crackle of electronics followed, and then silence.

"Alright, just to be clear," Zoisite began in a shaky voice, "we all heard that. Right?"

"I know that voice," Mamoru whispered. "I've heard it before. Last night, in my dream, _that voice_ was there, saying things, strange things."

"Strange things about what?" Zoisite asked, his eyes sharpening.

"About me. About the blood of Earth. That we...that I can't be trusted. That _she_ would never let Usagi come back to me."

"So you're saying that voice wants you to stay away from Usagi?" Nephrite clarified. "Did she happen to mention why?"

"More crazy things...you heard her, just now! She says Usagi belongs to her!"

Nephrite frowned as he prodded the half-melted phone with one toe. "I'd say she plans to use any means to keep you away from the Princess, including violence."

Strangely, he felt almost relieved when Mamoru's eyes narrowed dangerously on the destroyed plastic, as the rage brought back into his blue eyes the life, and the hope.

"Let her try."


	25. Chapter 25

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Sailor Moon, I own only the characters I have created, and the bizarre situations I keep thrusting them into..._

_A/N: Whew, we're moving right along, now! Setsuna and Galaxia are up. Thanks this time go out to Lalaitha Yamainu (well, here's the answer to one of your questions...) Lysia Croft (honestly, there are times I think I wrote this whole beast to have Haruka announce, "Miko-schmiko...", that scene is what started me working on this thing again) Bin82501 ( I thought we needed a break from the angst, glad you liked it) James Birdsong (thanks, again!) sailorashes (always glad to see old faces , or pennames, return, and while nearly everyone will be coming back, Queen Serenity has really, truly, moved on, but if you like the Starlights...) Girl Who Writes (again, I think I wrote this all for that one scene between teenage girls, cause that's what they are in the end, about sex, but happily, I can't seem to stop now) Aphrodite's Kiss (we're moving along much faster now, woohoo! I'll update as fast as I can write) twilightm00n (I promise more action, even some for Setsuna) goldnheart (I know it seems to be moving slowly, and I'm sorry, but it's because of the pauses between chapters while I'm writing, and I'm sorry again!) Isis Aurora Tomoe (I want so much to post the next Hotaru-Chibiusa-Quartet chapter, but I'm trying to do this in order, so don't tempt me! yes, yes, answers are coming, and yes, Zoisite and Mercury were in love...in a lake...well, anyway) mlkoolc86 (in the Stars series Haruka was constantly ready to rip Seiya apart, so I just ran with that, kinda reminds me of my brother) Artemis-chan of Redwing (the chapters were pretty lighthearted, I didn't give you much for constructive criticism, but I appreciate the attempt) and, of course, InusAkane (oh, yeah, there's no keeping Mamo-chan and Usako away from each other, and now he's pissed, glad to see your name again, hon!)_

"Where are those pudding cups? This might be our one chance to eat something."

Sailor Pluto slid a little lower down the wall, and glanced at Galaxia from the corner of her eye. At Michiru's urging, Galaxia had left her white gown in the care of the two remaining Outer Senshi, and allowed herself to be dressed in jeans and a long sleeved blouse. Both had given way when the two traveling Senshi transformed, and for the first time the golden, armored uniform of the Queen of Shadow Galactica appeared on an ally.

"We forgot spoons," Sailor Pluto informed her new partner. "Michiru usually remembers everything, but she's so distraught about Hotaru, it's understandable. What should we do now?"

"We seem to have lost them, at least for the moment. This isn't going at all the way I had hoped," Galaxia admitted, rubbing a glistening forehead underneath her ornate headband. "Perhaps you should try a Dead Scream attack?"

"You want me to throw a planet attack at another Senshi? Are you insane?" Pluto cried as she pulled her staff protectively closer to her body. "That would give the term Sailor Wars a whole new meaning!"

"I don't mean you should _hit_ them, just that-"

"_YOU!_"

"They found us!" Galaxia yelped, and leapt to her feet.

Pluto followed her example, abandoning the sanctuary of the low wall they had crouched behind for nearly fifteen minutes. Both women were tall, and stretched their long legs to the fullest extent to cover as much ground as they could. Without speaking, Pluto gestured sharply to their right with her staff. Galaxia nodded, and both turned suddenly down another corridor and out of sight, just as they heard an attack shouted.

"STAR GENTLE UTERUS!"

The window at the beginning of the corridor shattered.

"What does that even mean?" Pluto panted. The pair came to the end of the corridor, which branched left and right. Pluto looked to Galaxia, who stared uncertainly back. After a moment, they simultaneously went left. The sounds of three women running in heels came from behind them in close pursuit.

Galaxia glanced over her shoulder nervously. "What does what mean, Setsuna?"

"Star Gentle Uterus. I've heard some strange attacks before, but who came up with that one?"

"Well, I've personally always thought their uniforms left something to be desired, but this probably isn't the moment to be having this conversation! Where in the hell _are_ we?!?"

"Why are you asking _me_?!? I've never even been to Kinmoku before!"

"I wasn't exactly sightseeing before!" Galaxia reminded her. "Blessed Cosmos, what I've give for a map right now."

Sailor Pluto shook her head and kept running.

Both she and Galaxia had decided to make their first stop an easy one, by choosing those they already knew. Pluto thought the Sailor Starlights and their Princess would perhaps be the most likely to hear them out without violence. She had been wrong. She did not think they even knew she was there, but one glimpse of Galaxia in her uniform had led to a barage of attacks, the sounding of a screaming alarm, and a chase through what could only be Princess Kakyuu's Palace. Pluto would have been happy to explore the Palace of another Princess, and see the lives of other Senshi. However, she would have liked to have done so at something a little slower than a dead run.

"Stairs!" Pluto cried suddenly. She seized Galaxia by the hand and pulled hard, nearly flinging the other Senshi at the stairs. They raced down the steps, their own heels making their footsteps a sharp stacatto, all too easy to follow. With no other choices, them kept running, hurdling the last three stairs, and crashing gracelessly through the door at the bottom. Several screams erupted as men and women in white scrambled away from the strangers.

"Sweet Saturn's bloody rings of death!" Pluto swore loudly as she glanced wildly around. "We're in the _kitchen!_"

"Sweet Saturn's..._what?_" Galaxia demanded.

"Never mind, never mind, this is the last place we should be!"

"Help!" one of the women, barely more than a girl, began to scream. "Help, help! Enemies in the kitchen! GUARDS!"

Holding the hand not clutching her staff out pleadingly, Pluto shook her head. "_Iie,_ we aren't enemies! I know we seem to be acting very strangely, but we just need to see Princess Kakyuu!"

"They're after the Princess!" the girl shrieked even louder. "PROTECT THE PRINCESS!"

"Oh, well done," Galaxia growled as the entire kitchen staff began to advance on them. "Now they're all against us!"

"I don't mean we're here to _hurt_ the Princess-"

"Setsuna, shut up and run!"

A hard shove in the small of her back sent Pluto moving quickly across the kitchen towards a set of three doors. She ducked a swing from a rolling pin, and stumbled back into Galaxia to avoid a knife thrust towards her ribs. The men and women in white closed in around them, and she had no choice but to use her staff to push them out of the way. She did so carefully, unwilling to harm the innocent for merely trying to protect their home. However, she knew they were not making friends this way.

"Galaxia, this way-Oh, you have to be kidding!"

The first door gave way to a large pantry, stocked with piles of provisions.

"Move, Setsuna, move!"

Galaxia pressed herself back-to-back with Pluto, defending her as she threw open the second door, which turned out to be an enormous refrigeration unit.

"_Ano_...Galaxia, things are not going our way tonight."

She felt Galaxia's hair move against hers as the other woman looked over her shoulder. Galaxia merely gave a wordless growl, and together they sidestepped to the last door. Pluto held her breath as she flung it open.

"Right door!"

"Go!"

The two Senshi burst out of the kitchen, just as the familiar voice of Sailor Star Fighter shouted from the door they had come through. Neither obeyed the command to stop, but raced up another set of stairs. Without slowing their run, they put out their hands and slammed open the wide double doors.

Pale golden marble floors gave them very little traction as they flew across a great hall. Huge, arching stainglass windows stretched almost from floor to ceiling, allowing soft moonlight to filter through in a miriad of colors. Splashes of delicate pinks, greens, blues, and golds washed over the Senshi as they ran. The walls, the windows, even the beams of the ceiling high above, all had been adorned with the same delicate floral motif. Pluto recognized the flowers from Kakyuu's crown and hair. Clinging to everything was the scent she knew, the scent that had led the Sailor Starlights to their Princess, the scent of flowers, soft and sweet, but different from the smell of Usagi's skin.

Between every two windows, there was a door.

"May Chaos find whoever built this place and burn them down!" Galaxia snarled. "How many doors and hallways does one place need? Which one do we take?"

"I...I don't...just go to the end of the hall!" Pluto cried. "There, that must be the Princess' throne! There's a door behind it! Go!"

Together, they leapt up the steps to the wide, crimson and blue hung dais, taking them two at a time. Real flowers grew in vines upon Kakyuu's golden throne, and released more of their sweet aroma into the air as Pluto brushed against them. She was given a brief impression of a wide chair with soft blue cushions, the back carved in the shape of a rising sun and dotted with brilliant rubies and sapphires. Galaxia bumped into a table in her haste, causing a familiar incense burner to sway dangerously. Pluto paused to catch it before it tumbled to the ground, and carefully righted it.

"Honestly!" Galaxia hissed as she reached for the door. "We don't have time!"

"We're here on a peaceful mission, Galaxia! Smashing Kakyuu's favorite possession will _not_ help our cause!"

"Come on, come on!"

"_Damn you, Galaxia, stop!_" Sailor Star Maker yelled from the other end of the hall.

Pluto rushed through the door Galaxia held open, and heard it slam shut behind them. She did not look back to reassure herself her partner was still with her, but instead looked slowly around them. She heard Galaxia's breathing, hard and deep, as she came to stand at Pluto's side. Again, the long braids of Galaxia's hair brushed her face as the powerful Senshi shook her head.

After the grand hall behind them, the lower ceiling, dark colors, and simple square windows gave this smaller room an almost claustrophobic feeling. Chairs, tables, and window frames were of dark wood. Thick, deep green carpeting muffled their steps as they moved a little further into the space. A blazing fire roared within the confines of a large hearth, and bathed the room in a warm golden glow. The light glinted off what appeared to be antique spears, staffs, swords, even exotic shuriken, hung from the walls.

"What is this place?" Galaxia mused. "It's cozy, but compared to the rest of the Palace, it seems a little..."

"Masculine," Pluto provided. Indeed, instead of a soft floral smell, the place seemed saturated in testosterone.

A slight movement from ahead of them made both women pull closer together, Galaxia raising one hand, and Pluto snapping her staff up in front of her. From the shadows in one corner, a figure stepped forward.

Tall, broad, and clad in scarlet cloth and gold armor, the man stared at them from sharp blue eyes in a devastatingly handsome face with skin like alabaster. Perfectly moulded lips turned up slightly into a wintery smile. He raised his free hand, and pushed back the several strands of pale blonde hair that had escaped the leather thong trapping the rest of his glorious mane to the top of his head. The other hand held a long wooden staff, topped with a wicked, foot long, curved blade.

"This," he said, gesturing expansively with the blade, "is the common room of the guards' quarters. It is for the guards of the Palace, and no women are allowed here, not even the Princess' Sailor Senshi. I'm afraid you are tresspassing, my ladies."

"For which we are very sorry," Pluto assured him. "But, you see, there's been a bit of a misunderstanding."

Galaxia moved a step closer, and studied him, a little frown between her eyes. She pointed at him uncertainly, and said, "I know you. I've seen you before."

"Yes, Galaxia," he said smoothly. "I am Fubuki, the head of the Palace Guards. I was the last of the guards, and I stood between you and the Princess when you came before. I bought the Princess enough time to escape, despite her wounds. However, you killed me."

Slowly, Pluto looked to Galaxia. The other Senshi stood staring, her face suddenly as pale as Fubuki's. For a moment, tears glistened in those beautiful red eyes, and hung off her lashes.

"I can't even begin to explain," Galaxia said in a trembling voice, "but I need you to understand. I..._we_ need to speak with Princess Kakyuu. Please, Fubuki, you don't know what's at stake!"

"I know you destroyed my home once. I know you killed everything I held dear, and burnt my Palace to the ground. I know, in the end, you managed to kill my Princess. What in all Creation makes you think I will allow you anywhere near her now?"

Pluto stepped forward, and put herself between Galaxia and Fubuki. "You may know her, but you don't know me. So please, _please-_"

Fubuki's blade sung out as it connected with Pluto's Garnet Rod, which had snapped up to block his stab. He gave her no warning, and instead reversed his swing, aiming for her head with the blunt end of his staff. She ducked, but felt a wind whistle through her hair. Another swipe with his blade sent her scrambling backwards.

"Fubuki, stop!" Galaxia shouted.

The blade shot out straight for Pluto's chest, and there was nowhere else to run.

Something gold flew between them. There was a flash of silver, and a spray of red. Pluto blinked in shock. Galaxia held Fubuki's blade in both her hands, stopping it just before it plunged into her own heart. Blood streamed down her arms, but she did not release her hold.

"Don't hurt her!" Galaxia whispered. "Please, Fubuki, kill me if you have to, but don't hurt Setsuna."

For the first time, Fubuki's pale eyes wavered.

A fist hammered against the door, and the voice of Sailor Star Healer called through the door to the throne room.

"Guards! Guards! Is anyone in there? Fubuki! Anyone!"

Fubuki's handsome face hardened, and he jerked his weapon back, a stream of red droplets following his blade. He turned his head, and shouted back, "They're here, Senshi! I'll bring them out to you!"

"_Iie,_" Pluto gasped. "Fubuki, we must see the Princess!"

Those blue eyes hit hers like an ice storm. "You will get nowhere near my Princess."

She sighed, and bowed ever so slightly. "_Gomennasai,_ Fubuki-sama."

"Pluto," Galaxia murmured, "what are you-?"

Pluto planted the blunt end of her staff in his chest, and pushed him back, hard. He fell back and hit the wall behind him with a resounding crash. Immediately, the pounding began behind them again.

"Fubuki, what's happening?!?"

"There's another door. Go!" Pluto hissed.

Galaxia hesitated for a second, then bolted for the door. Pluto gave Fubuki another apologetic grimace and fled after her partner.

Another long hallway awaited them through the secondary door, this one lined with doors, only one ajar. A glance through showed they were racing through the guards' quarters, and Pluto blessed the Moon and Sol and her own planet that all the guards appeared to have joined the hunt for them elsewhere. She knew, though, that they would be much easier to follow now, as Galaxia left a trail of blood for guards and Senshi alike to follow.

At the end of the hall, they slammed through yet another door, and took a far more impressive set of stairs, these wide and sweeping. Galaxia raced ahead of her, leading the way up four flights as a cramp pressed hard against Setsuna's ribs. She paused, her head whipping back and forth between two doors, then went sharply left.

They ran the length of one more corridor before Galaxia suddenly spoke.

"Okay, wait, hang on!" she gasped, and she held up one hand to slow Pluto, though neither stopped. Galaxia pointed towards a painting of a brilliant sun rising, with three stars twinkling in the sky around it, then gestured to the beginning of another hallway. "I think I've seen this place before. Yes, yes, we're almost to-"

Following her lead, Pluto turned another corner, and froze.

Galaxia gave an audible swallow, and finished her sentence.

"Princess Kakyuu's chambers."

There stood the Princess of Kinmoku, her crimson eyes fierce and wary, her dazzling hair loose around her face, free of crown or flowers, her hands before her as she prepared for an attack.

"KINMOKU FUSION TEMP- Sailor Pluto?"

Immediately, Pluto swept her a bow. An elbow to Galaxia's side reminded her to do the same. The older Senshi's bow was less graceful, and not quite as deep, but necessary, all the same.

"Princess," Pluto said as she tried to catch her breath, "I am so very sorry for this intrusion, and this is _not_ how we meant to meet you here, but the Starlights and guards did not seem to understand we aren't here as enemies."

"They thought _you_ were an enemy?" Kakyuu asked, bewildered, as she dropped her hands to her sides once again. "Why in the name of Kinmoku would my Senshi think that?"

"Actually," Galaxia cut in self-consciously, "I don't think they saw much past me. I don't blame them, but Princess, please believe I am not here to hurt you! There are forces gathering that threaten every Sailor Senshi and every planet in Creation!"

Pluto felt relief flood her when the Princess asked no questions, only nodded. "I know. I feel it, a darkness pressing down on all of us. Everywhere I turn...that's why I am afraid I gave you such an unfriendly greeting. I don't usually ready an attack for everyone who surprises me."

"It might also have something to do with the screaming alarms," Pluto added with a gesture to the ceiling, from which the high shrieking sound still eminated. "Star Fighter hit them after we took off running. We would have stayed around to try and reason with them-"

"Then you would have come to me not running, but in a very small box," Kakyuu told them, shaking her head. "My Senshi...well, I'm sure you understand. They are sometimes very like your Uranus and Neptune."

Unable to stop herself, Pluto laughed a little and nodded. "I do indeed understand. Oh, Princes, we are so, _so_ sorry!"

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

Both Pluto and Galaxia spun around as Kakyuu's Sailor Senshi piled around the corner. None of them seemed to see Sailor Pluto, all three pairs of eyes flying to their former enemy.

"SERIOUS STAR LA-"

"Enough!" Kakyuu cried. Star Fighter's hands, and jaw, dropped when her Princess slipped between Pluto and Galaxia, and fixed her guardians with a fierce frown. "Enough of this. You _know_ that Sailor Moon brought Sailor Galaxia back into the fold of the Sailor Senshi! How could you attack, without giving her a chance to speak? Look, she's bleeding! She has been wounded, and you could have hurt Sailor Pluto, too!"

"Sailor...?" Star Healer's head turned, and she blinked. "Sailor Pluto? What are you doing with _her?!?_"

"We _both_ came to speak to your Princess!" Pluto told her angrily. "We would have told you that, but you seemed rather intent on catching and killing us, so I'm afraid we didn't stop to talk!"

"Well, the _last_ time Galaxia set foot on our world," Star Fighter cut in, "our world was devastated, and our Princess killed! You'll pardon our natural reaction. How would you greet her if she suddenly appeared on Earth?"

"They fed me," Galaxia said with a shrug. "After Sailor Moon...well, that's something we need to discuss with Princess Kakyuu. And perhaps someone can turn off those alarms?"

"Yes, please, one of you tell the guards to stop this racket," Kakyuu ordered gently, "and to stop hunting our guests! Galaxia, give me your hands. I can heal those wounds. Star Fighter, Star Healer, Star Maker, which one of you did this?"

"Not me!" they chorused defensively.

"I'm afraid it was Fubuki," Pluto said. She watched with interest as Kakyuu held Galaxia's hands between her own. A soft glow engulfed their hands, a pink light not unlike Sailor Moon's healing powers, and when Kakyuu released her, her hands were whole again.

"Fubuki," Kakyuu sighed, but she smiled, too. "He should be-"

"KAKYUU!"

"-here soon. Fubuki, lower your weapon. These are my friends."

Pluto stared at the blade pointed at her forehead, so close she nearly went cross-eyed. The metal quivered above her skin for a moment, then, reluctantly, lowered. Fubuki swept past her to Kakyuu's side.

"My Princess, are you sure?" he murmured. "That is Galaxia!"

"I know that. The woman with her is Sailor Pluto, one of the Sailor Senshi of Princess Serenity, the Princess of the Moon who cared for my own Senshi when we were seperated. Sailor Pluto is no enemy of ours, and now, neither is Galaxia. She is a Sailor Senshi, as my guardians are, as I am. She will be given the same respect as any of us."

"I...Princess, you are not dressed to receive visitors!"

For the first time, Pluto realized Kakyuu wore a simple white dress that appeared to be a night gown. The Princess also seemed surprised at her state of undress, but she merely let loose a little giggle. Fubuki seemed less amused, for he removed his scarlet cape, and draped it around her shoulders.

"Fubuki, they're both women. It isn't as though my chambers have been breached by men waiting to ravage me."

"All the same, Kakyuu, you should have put on your robe," he whispered. "What if the other guards saw you, or a servant?"

"Oh, my Fubuki," Kakyuu sighed, and looked up at him with an expression Pluto recognized from her own Princess, gazing into the face of her Prince. "If it will make you feel better, I'll go put on my robe. But Sailor Galaxia and Sailor Pluto are welcome in my chambers, as we need to talk."

"Captain!"  
"Captain Fubuki!"

"He's found the invaders!"

"Captain, get the Princess safe! We'll handle them!"

"Kronos protect us!"

The last came from Sailor Pluto, diving backwards with Galaxia as Fubuki's guards raced down the hall, weapons drawn and at the ready. Several spears rose, the guards charged closer, and Pluto grabbed Galaxia, dragging her close to her side, and reacted instinctively.

"GARNET BALL."

The Garnet Orb glowed softly for a moment, causing the Starlights, intimately familiar with Sailor Senshi attacks, to gasp in shock. The light flared to fill the hall, then collapsed in around Pluto and Galaxia. It solidified around them, a beautiful, deep red jewel in which the partners floated.

Fubuki stepped forward, and shouted to the leading guard, "No, Kei, wait!"

The man did not seem to hear him. He launched himself at the supposed invaders, his spear leading the way. The tip began to pierce the light, then shattered. The handle splintered in his hand, sending out a spray of wood. Now unable to stop, the guard slammed into the light, and crumpled to the ground, where he lay groaning.

The rest of the guards slowed to a staggering halt, and could do little more than blink, dumbfounded.

"What in Kinmoku...?" one muttered.

Kakyuu moved away from Fubuki, reached out, and touched the light. Her hand sank into the glow for less than an inch before stopping, as though hitting solid stone. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she smiled once more.

"Very impressive, Sailor Pluto! But is Kei seriously hurt?"

"He shouldn't be, at least no more so than had he hit a wall going that speed," Pluto explained. "You know, Fubuki _did_ try to warn you."

The guard, Kei, rolled over onto his back, his hand to his nose. Pluto was dismayed to see blood from under his fingers. He scooted away from them, then rose with the help of his comrades. For a wild moment, Pluto almost laughed, remembering Jadeite, mere months ago, in rather the same position, after Makoto had hit him in the face with a book.

The laughter died stillborn as Kei looked at her like she was some monster.

"Who..._what_ are they, Princess?"

For the first time, anger entered Kakyuu's face, and a touch of sadness.

"They are Sailor Senshi, and my guests," she told her guards coldly. "Sailor Pluto, you are safe, I assure you."

With nothing more than a twitch of her staff, the Garnet Ball disappeared, and she and Galaxia stood as though there had been no attack.

Kakyuu took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as though struggling with herself. Then she opened her eyes, and spoke briskly. "Sailor Pluto, Sailor Galaxia, we must speak. Please, come into my chambers. My Starlights," she paused, and a soft smile came to her lips, "my Fubuki, you are with me. My guards, go try to calm the rest of the Palace. I do _not,_ however, want to hear one person say the words Shadow Galactica. I do not need a world wide panic, thank you. I also need my council in the State Room in two hours, so chase them out of bed. And will someone _please_ turn off those alarms!"

The guards glanced at their captian, received a firm nod, and turned away. Advancing on Kakyuu, Fubuki seized her arm and marched her back to her chambers, muttering about decency and robes all the way. The three Starlights looked uncertainly at each other, and then to the visiting Senshi. Meanwhile, Pluto and Galaxia, now they were no longer under the eye of the guards, slumped against each other as they tried to remember how to breathe properly.

Star Fighter stepped forward, while Star Maker and Star Healer hung back uncertainly. Pluto felt Galaxia stiffen against her, but made no defensive moves.

"Sailor Pluto...Setsuna."

"_Hai,_ Seiya?"

"Is there...anything we can get you? Some water perhaps?"

Galaxia's shoulder shook against her own. After a moment, Pluto joined her, and the two oldest Senshi started to laugh weakly.

"Some water would be wonderful," Galaxia said around her giggles. "And do you have some spoons?


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: They are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, except when they aren't, and then they're mine. But I assure everyone and anyone who gives a damn that I ain't making any money on this..._

_A/N: Well, we needed to wrap things up on Kinmoku before we could move on, so here's the wrap up. Thank you's go out to Sabrina (what is up with that attack? that has always bugged me, that and their skanky uniforms...gotta have spoons for the pudding, you know ;-P) Aphrodite's Kiss (well, this should answer your first question, and as for reactions when the Starlights get to Earth...that would be telling) Bin82501 (even Setsuna gets thrown off balance when being chased by other Senshi) twilightm00n (Seiya may be protective of Usagi, but it isn't exactly her place, and we're taking the action down for a little bit, but it'll be coming back in my next update) Lysia Croft (they think much after "Galaxia. Kill. Kill." they didn't even really notice Setsuna at first) mlkoolc86 (I tried to make it both exciting and funny, glad you thought it was...) Lalaitha Yamainu (Haruka's got a couple ideas of what we can do with the Starlights) astra-kelly (everyone jumped on the idea of Setsuna running around the galaxy with pudding cups, so I ran with it, and it just worked out so funny) sailorashes (Kakyuu mentioned a lover she had lost in the manga, so when everyone came back to life, Fubuki was born in my mind, not Pluto's man, but I _swear_ he's coming) Girl Who Writes (I wish I could write it faster, believe me, and I just love the idea of Pluto and Galaxia racing about together, thank the gods fanfiction let's us explore these crazy ideas) Artemis-chan of Redwing (I was going for the giggles, I'm glad you liked it) Sunwritten (ah, you make me blush! I got kicked back into gear, and I hope I stay there, because we're rolling along so well, and I want to keep going to the end) Through Darkness (who doesn't love the pudding? the worst part is, you're supposed to be confused right now, but next update should clarify a _lot)_ If you're reading and not reviewing, thank you, too! And here we go..._

After more than an hour of being chased around a strange Palace, it felt wonderful to sit still, sip the wine that Princess Kakyuu had fetched to the room along with the water, and take a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, Setsuna and Galaxia, having shed their Sailor Senshi garb and returned to civilian form, found little time for relaxation. As soon as the servants baring food left the room, the questions began.

"What's happened to Usagi?" Seiya asked seconds after the door closed. "Galaxia cut off suddenly. Is she alright? Is she hurt? What's happened?"

"Calm down, Seiya. If Usaig were hurt, I am sure our friends would not appear so at ease. Will you _please_ sit down?"

Kakyuu's voice floated out to them from a side door which remained slightly ajar, with Fubuki standing before it. Setsuna's one glance into this little room told her it was a dressing room, for she had glimpsed a vanity and an impressive wardrobe. Yaten slipped with her Princess into the dressing room, Taiki sat playing with the end of her ponytail thoughtfully, and Seiya stood on the other side of the table from Setsuna and Galaxia and demanded answers.

Raising her hand to quiet the other woman, Setsuna shook her head slightly. The Starlights had also chosen to return to their more mundane forms, and it was strange to see Seiya, usually dressed as mannish as Haruka, in a simple long white skirt and black vest. Taiki, lounging at her side, wore pants almost like _hakama_, but the color of the dark wine they enjoyed, and a long sleeve, pale pink shirt that plunged impressively and revealed much. Both women went without shoes, making Setsuna suddenly conscious of her own footwear.

_Should I take off my shoes? Is this rude? What would have been the proper thing to do in the Moon Palace?_

As Setsuna pondered interplanetary decorum, Galaxia answered Seiya's impetuous questions.

"Usagi is...fine. She is just dealing with some things, and she sent Setsuna and myself to handle the gathering of Sailor Soldiers," the eldest Senshi explained smoothly. "We are in danger."

"Define the term 'we', my lady," Fubuki interrupted, his ice cold eyes narrowed, not suspicious, but thoughtful. Setsuna guessed if he could protect Kakyuu at the cost of the rest of Creation, he would. She found this strangely moving, and a twinge of envy had to be thrust away.

"When we say 'we', Captain Fubuki, we mean the galaxy, or perhaps the universe, as a whole," Setsuna said, meeting those blue eyes without fear. She understood the fanatical loyalty to duty, and she would use it to make him do what was needed. "But first and foremost, our enemy will probably strike out at the Sailor Senshi, such as us, such as the Starlights, and such as your Princess."

"This enemy knows about Sailor Senshi, then," Taiki murmured. "That is interesting. What is this danger?"

"It is...it is evil, personified," Setsuna said. "Long ago, so long that the only ones who remember are planets and stars, someone tried to build a prison for evil. They wanted to cleanse all of Creation, and make things peaceful and good always. It worked to an extent, in that they managed to syphon a great amount of darkness away from the rest of Creation, but things went wrong, terribly wrong, and now all this evil is built up, and it has been trying to escape it's prison."

"So, is it an army of evil?" Taiki asked. "A legion of enemies?"

"_Iie._ The evil has melded, and become a single entity. It is not mindless; it thinks, it speaks, it wants, and it will stop at nothing to break free. If it does, it will wash over _everything_, and it will devour _everything_, and then there will be no way to stop it." Setsuna stared hard into Fubuki's eyes, and felt her millennia of existence fill her gaze, and willed him to understand, to truly comprehend, the level of destruction the Abyss could wreak. "I've seen what this thing can do with just a tiny pinprick into a world. One _whisper_ can drive people mad, can make lovers hate each other, can turn mothers against their children, can...can turn a Senshi against her duty. It can turn us against our own kind. It can turn us against our Princess."

The whole room stared at her, and Setsuna pushed back against the devastating memory of Usagi crumpled on the pavement, blood on her forehead, blood on her lips, her chest unmoved by breath, and the echo of Pluto's own planet attack still hanging in the air.

"Did you...do something to Usagi?" Seiya asked slowly.

"If I tell you it's a long story, that doesn't even begin to explain it," Setsuna muttered on a little laugh. "The Abyss plays with your mind, and preys on your fears. That's bad enough, but if it can pull you into its jaws, it will devour you, completely, body, heart, and soul. The _only_ person who seems immune is Usagi herself."

Taiki stared at her through expressionless brown eyes for a moment, then shook her head. "Perhaps _you_ were weak enough to fall to this thing. _We_ would not."

"And why is that?" Galaxia asked, a spoon of chocolate pudding hovering in front of her lips. "Are you without weakness? If so, I wish you would tell me how you do it."

"We never forget our duty," Yaten announced as she appeared in the dressing room door, clad in a straight white dress of Grecian lines. "Our loyalty to our Princess would never be swayed."

Galaxia lowered her spoon, and sat up straighter, fixing the other Senshi with a gaze of as much heat as Fubuki's eyes were cold. "You dare to claim you are more dedicated to your duty than Sailor Pluto? Have you ever guarded a lonely post, without friends, without lovers, without family, never swaying from your duty? No, because you wouldn't survive more than a few months alone. _She_ knows what duty is. If the Abyss can twist _her _from her duty, then you would do well to fear for your very souls."

"That may well be true, Galaxia, but let's just take a deep breath and calm down," Setsuna advised. She met Galaxia's eyes, and gave her a soft smile. "_Arigatou._"

"I merely spoke the truth, my dear."

"I think she did."

Kakyuu appeared, pushing Fubuki gently aside so she could reenter her chambers. She looked as Setsuna remembered her, her beautiful hair looped behind her head but left to fall in two tails around her face, and her body encased in a crimson silk gown, with a skirt like lotus petals flaring in a breeze, and long trailing sleeves in the same gold as Fubuki's armor. She paused, her fingers fumbling with her long ribbon necklace. With a sigh, she turned to Fubuki, who melted from the forbidding ice soldier to take the ribbon and tie it into a bow. Setsuna hid a smile as he fussed about it, making certain all four loops were perfect, and that the little gold ornament was exactly centered.

Also not wearing shoes, Kakyuu rose up on her toes to kiss him thank you. Setsuna heard Galaxia catch herself on a giggle as a blush started in his cheeks.

"Princess," he muttered reprovingly, "we are not alone."

"I'm sure Sailor Pluto has seen her own Princess kissing her lover."

"Frequently," Setsuna assured him with a smile.

"Yes, well, that doesn't apply to...for the sake of policy...as the Princess...you shouldn't do that!" he hissed, and moved back to attention.

"Of course, Fubuki. I am sorry."

The merry twinkle in her eyes as Kakyuu turned to the other women in the room gave the lie to her meek words.

"As for Sailor Pluto's dedication to her duty, Taiki, Yaten, _you_ are not to be the judge of that. Her own Princess entrusted her with the mission of ambassador, and that should tell you how deep her faith in her Senshi is."

"Be careful, my ladies," Fubuki added suddenly, directing his gaze at the startled Starlights, "for your over confidence in your dedication could be the very weaknesses this Abyss is waiting to prey on. Know your strength, but know your weakness as well."

"And what is your weakness, Fubuki?" Seiya asked haughtily. "Do you admit to any?"

"I am not a Sailor Senshi. I do not have the power to protect Kakyuu as I would like. So, perhaps, envy of your power would be my weakness."

The women all blinked at him, surprised by his forthcoming speech. Seiya stared particularly hard, her mouth opening and closing several times as she tried to find a response. He had left her with none, so she turned back to Galaxia and Setsuna to renew her attack.

"What is it, exactly, that Usagi is dealing with?"

"It's personal," Setsuna answered shortly. "Can we please focus on the Abyss? _That_ is what is most likely to kill us all, you know."

"But what-?"

"Seiya!" Kakyuu interrupted. "Enough. If it is personal, I think it is a matter for Sailor Moon, her Senshi, and her Prince."

"Her fiancee, if you want to be completely correct," Setsuna said. "And it is a matter between them, more so than it involves her Senshi."

Taiki sat up suddenly, her eyes wide. "You mean...of course! That's it!"

"_Nani?_" Setsuna cried in shock, and she looked quickly to Galaxia. Eyes as scarlet as her own blinked back, almost frightened. Setsuna had told her new partner all she could remember from Amaterasu, including the discussion of Usagi grappling with new and dangerous powers. It seemed impossible Taiki could have come to such a conclusion, so she chose to move cautiously. "What is it you think we mean?"

"Usagi is pregnant, isn't she?"  
Both the other Starlights' jaws nearly hit the ground. Kakyuu, slightly more composed, turned swiftly to look at Setsuna and Galaxia with questioning eyes. The two guests exchanged another look, uncertain whether to laugh or groan.

"Usagi is most certainly _not_ pregnant," Setsuna assured them through gritted teeth. "Usagi is seventeen, and not ready to be a mother. Usagi is _fine._ Can. We. Focus. On. The. Abyss?!? _Please!_"

"I agree with Sailor Pluto," Fubuki said. "I do not know Usagi, and though my Princess has told me she is a kind and lovely Soldier, I really could not care less if she were pregnant. However, the destruction of Creation concerns me greatly. Your Princess sent you to reach out to other Sailor Senshi, did she not?"

"_Hai,_ she did."

"Why?"

"What?" Galaxia asked.

"Did you come merely to tell us of our danger, or do you want something from us?"

Setsuna shook her head again, and raised her eyebrows at Seiya.

"It is often said around the Palace," Seiya said with a little smile, "that Captain Fubuki is about as subtle as a punch to the face. However, he has a point. Why are you here?"

"Throughout the ages," Galaxia began slowly, "the Sailor Senshi have remained with our planets and stars, and we have fought evil. But we have done so apart from one another. However, remember how Chaos was finally defeated."

"When Sailor Moon nearly ran you through with a sword?" Taiki mused, touching her forefinger to her lips.

"When two sets of Sailor Soldiers came together, and worked together," Setsuna corrected her with a stern look. "If you had not been there after your Princess fell, after we were no longer there to help Sailor Moon...that possibility is too horrifying for my mind to comprehend, honestly.

"The Abyss had a taste of freedom, when it managed to push open a tiny portal to Earth, and _it wants more._ It took the strength of a star to close that portal, and even then its shadow remains. It has haunted and hounded Usagi ever since. It is mostly in dreams, but those dreams can leave very real wounds."

"It's getting worse," Galaxia added. "I went to Earth to speak with Sailor Moon, and when I got there, she was under attack from the Abyss in a dream. An entire roomful of people were wounded during that attack."

Setsuna noted silently that Galaxia left out the very simple detail of just _how_ that roomful of people were wounded.

Kakyuu sank down into the chair beside Taiki, and there was now no laughter in her eyes. She looked grave and serious, clenching her hands tightly together on the table top. "I must go before my Council in the next hour. I woke them in the middle of the night. They will be frightened, and worried, and probably a little angry. What am I going to tell them?"

"You are going to tell them," Galaxia murmured, leaning over to lay her hand on top of Kakyuu's, "as much of the truth as you deem necessary. They need to know how serious this threat is...so that they will allow you to travel to Earth."

"No!" Fubuki snapped, coming suddenly to life. "At a time of emergency, the Princess needs to be here!"

"She needs to be where she can do the most good," Galaxia shot back. She rose and turned to face him, so tall she nearly looked him in the eye. "Every planet and every star is in danger, Fubuki. The Sailor Senshi need to gather, to combine their powers."

"Why can't they gather here?" Fubuki demanded. Setsuna slid to the edge of her seat as his hand tightened on his weapon, and he took a menacing step forward. "Why do I hear betrayal in your words? Perhaps the Sailor Senshi gather on Earth. How do we know you will not strike then, and take them all at once?"

"You are seriously overestimating my abilities," Galaxia told him flatly. "Even with Chaos, if there had been a gathering of Sailor Senshi as we are talking about, I would never have stood a chance. It will not be possible to collect every Senshi...there are thousands, millions, as there are millions of stars. But this is not a wave of darkness. This is a _tsunami,_ Fubuki, and we must have our own storm to fight back, or _we will lose!_"

"I am going."

Fubuki fell silent as Kakyuu stood, her voice firm, almost a command. She walked past her Starlights and Galaxia, and stopped directly in front of the Captain of her Palace Guards. One hand rose, and lay against the metal of his armor, directly over his heart. The other touched his weapon, merely with her fingertips, and pushed it gently away.

"This is not a trap, nor a betrayal, and you know it. You warned the Starlights to beware of their own fears and weaknesses. This is yours, my Fubuki, and you are letting it win without the help of the Abyss."

His free arm wrapped around her, and crushed her to his chest. Setsuna winced in sympathy, but though the armor surely bruised through the silk gown, Kakyuu merely clung to him, and turned her face into the side of his neck. He dipped his head until he could touch his lips to her hair.

"Yes, this is my fear. That you will be taken from me. That I will fail you. I...I cannot bear it, Kakyuu. I cannot see you bleed. I _will not_ see you hurt again. Not if I can do anything to stop it. If you go, I go with you."

"Are you implying that we can't protect the Princess?" Yaten asked, but there was no heat in her words. In fact, Setsuna thought she might be smiling. Taiki and Seiya most certainly were.

"You can go to hell, Sailor Star Healer, with my compliments," Fubuki said without raising his head. "If Kakyuu goes, I go with her. There is no other option. I will bar the door and allow no one in or out if you try to make me stay."

"That is...really over the top," Taiki told him, rising from her chair. "But sweet, no less. Very well, Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Pluto. We will go to Earth, and we will join your scrappy band of fighters. Who will we find there?"

"Only our own Senshi," Setsuna admitted. "You are our first stop."

"Well, doesn't that make us feel special," Seiya muttered with a smirk. "Or are we more like a practice run?"

"Where precisely will we be going, once we arrive on Earth?" Fubuki asked over her. "As Kakyuu explained it, you do not have a Palace. We will need to sleep somewhere, and at some point we will probably want food."

"You can go..." Setsuna trailed off, and thought quickly. In the anxiety to begin their journey, she and Galaxia had missed this rather important step. A glance to her partner showed an equally desperate look. Only one possibility came to mind, and while Setsuna did not like it, she saw nothing else she could do. "You can go to my house. You will be guests of my...my sisters, Haruka and Michiru."

"You," Yaten had to stop to choke down a laugh, "you want us to stay with Uranus and Neptune?"

Taiki raised a finger for emphasis. "More precisely, you want Uranus and Seiya to reside in the same house for more than a matter of moments? You are very trusting. Or perhaps you do not like this house very much."

"It is a very nice house," Setsuna told them all defensively, "and I like it very much, and I would prefer, Sailor Star Fighter, that it remain in the shape in which I left it. The last one was blown up, and I don't want that to happen to this one."

"Your house was _blown up?_" Seiya gasped. "How-?"

"However, I don't think we can put a bunch of Sailor Senshi in a hotel. There are just too many things that could go wrong. So I guess our house is the only place I can send you. I can't send you to Mamoru's place, because Seiya and Mamoru would _definitely_ kill each other, and there are already four other men living there. But when Hotaru and Small Lady and the Quartet return...oh, dear."

"We will give you the address to find Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, and they will make you most welcome, I am sure," Galaxia said quickly. "Kakyuu, what else will we need before we face your Council?"

"I will need you to accompany me, to help me explain all this. Seiya will essemble the honor guard. We will make this as official as possible. Yaten, Taiki, I need you to fetch Kaen. As my successor, she will have to act as regent in my stead. She is young, but the Council can guide her. Bring her here quickly, so I can give her some warning, and she will come with us to the State Rooms."

Yaten and Taiki bobbed quick bows, then turned and raced for the door. As it began to close, Kakyuu yelled one more warning after them.

"Make certain she is dressed _properly!_ That means a _dress!_"

"Kaen...Kakyuu, are you certain?" Fubuki asked, finally allowing her to leave the circle of his arms. "She is..."

"She is my cousin, of royal blood, and my heir. She will do fine," Kakyuu assured him. "She may be young, she may be...impetuous, but her heart is good, and her will is strong. Her only concern will be the safety of our home."

Fubuki closed his lips, but his stony silence spoke volumes of his uncertainty.

"Sailor Pluto, perhaps it would be best for you to return to your Sailor uniform. Sailor Galaxia..."

"Perhaps my uniform would be the _worst_ idea at this moment," Galaxia finished with a little sigh. "It might lead to fullblown panic. I understand, Princess."

Kakyuu smiled in appreciation, then touched the flower birthmark on her forehead as she thought. "What else? Slippers, yes, and the Starlights should return to their uniforms, and Fubuki will need his cape back, and...what am I forgetting?"

"Your crown?" Fubuki suggested.

"Ah! My crown! Blessed Kinmoku, I'll be forgetting my head next!"

She fled back into her dressing room, followed by both Seiya and Fubuki. Setsuna took the moment to seize Galaxia by the wrist and yank her back into her chair. The other woman fell into her seat hard, and nearly slipped into Setsuna's lap.

"What?"

"We're just going to send them to Haruka and Michiru without any warning?" Setsuna whispered. "She's a Princess, which makes her a...a visiting dignitary, or something like that. And there are going to be lots of them, if we're lucky! They can't all stay in my house!"

"They might have to. Earth is the first target on the Abyss's list, so that is where we will have to make our stand. Unfortunately, as you said, we can't just send a bunch of offworlders to a hotel, and entrust them to the staff there! So what are our options?" Galaxia asked helplessly.

"But...what are they going to _do_ with all of them?" Setsuna wailed softly with a wild gesture to the half-open dressing room door.

"I don't know! We're doing the hard part, this is just going to have to be the job of everyone who stayed behind!" Galaxia snapped. She seemed more distressed than angry, though, as she seized a lock of hair and began to tug nervously. "Michiru is very good at organizing, and Kunzite was the General of Earth's Army, or so you said, they should be able to figure something out."

Setsuna nodded and had to smile. "I'm sure they'll make it work, but I'll probably be the one sleeping on the floor when we get home. Okay. We go and talk to Kakyuu's Council, and see her and the Starlights, and apparently Fubuki, off to Earth, and then where do we go next?"

"Next? We could try Coronis, they tend to like birds a bit there. Or Mau, that's where Sailor Tin Nyanko stole her Sailor Crystal from. But maybe we should next go to Geshur, while we still have some energy and ingenuity."

"'Ingenuity'?" Setsuna repeated uncertainly. "What's so special about Geshur?"

"They follow the Sailor Senshi Code, which means that Sailor Senshi have active roles in the ruling of this system. However, the Sailor Crystal of Geshur, the ruling planet of the system, is at this time held by a man."

"A...a _man?_ A _man_ with Senshi powers? That's...that's not possible!" Setsuna cried, stunned. "Is he a usurper? How could he have gotten his hands on a Sailor Crystal?!?"

"I don't know, and as it made it very easy to steal before, I didn't ask a lot of questions," Galaxia admitted with a little shrug. "Besides, your Prince has a sort of Sailor Crystal. I should know, I was given a chance to study it rather closely."

"That's...unusual."

"That's putting it mildly. But the ease with which I took the Geshur Crystal made me wonder...There is something _off_ about the situation in Geshur."

Setsuna lifted her hand to her mouth, and bit down on one fingernail without thinking. "_Hai,_ perhaps that should be our next stop. Geshur made need our help in other ways than just the Abyss...oh, Kronos help us, what else is coming?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Galaxia murmured. She glanced to the table, then lifted her crystal wine goblet once more. "There's nothing for it but to continue on."

She held out the glass to Setsuna. After a moment, Setsuna raised her own glass, and clinked it against Galaxia's.

Both drank, and tried to let the warmth of the sweet wine chase away their fears.


	27. Chapter 27

_Disclaimer: They are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, except when they aren't, and then they're mine. But I assure everyone and anyone who gives a damn that I ain't making any money on this..._

"Sailor Moon. The Defender of Love and Justice. The Heroine of Tokyo. The...the...is this a joke?"

It took real effort for Usagi to keep her head up. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on the kitchen table in her frustration and cry. However, this response had two very real problems: it would do nothing to convince her mother, and there was a stack of pancakes smothered in syrup where her head would land.

"Mama," she tried again, "I know that it sounds strange, but..." Diplomacy finally failed her. "Have you ever _seen_ a picture of Sailor Moon? How can you have any questions? Look at my _hair_! Look...look at...look at my broach! All of a sudden I started wearing this, and you have no idea where it came from, do you? And then Sailor Moon started showing up! And my _friends!_ I can see how you might not realize the truth about Minako, or Makoto, or Rei, but _Ami?!?_ Blue hair, Mama!"

Across the table, Ikuko watched her daughter with a patient but unencouraging expression. She had listened very calmly to Usagi's tangled explanation of her secret identity, of her friends' involvement, and did not even interrupt when told the cat that had lived in her house for three years was capable of human speech. Throughout it all, Minau sat to Usagi's left and ate her pancakes in silence.

"What I have seen," Ikuko said slowly, "is that you have obviously had a very upsetting night, _jou-chan._ I'm a little worried about you. However, what I _haven't_ seen is you ever transform into Sailor Moon, or your friends transform, or Luna ever talk. As for Chibiusa being your daughter, that's just silly. She's your _cousin._"

Usagi compromised with herself and let her head fall into her hands. A strong throbbing sensation had begun to build in her head the more she went round and round in argument with her mother. It frightened her, because she could not be certain it was just a headache, and not the strange new power mounting for an attack.

"What, exactly, can I do to convince you, Mama?" she asked through her hands.

"Usagi, this is ridiculous! Oh, alright, why don't you just...transform? Here, in the dining room."

"Fine!" Usagi yanked her head up, then leapt from her chair. She backed up several steps as her mother and Minau watched, Ikuko concerned, the other Princess curious. Her finger hovered a breath away from her broach when her fear returned tenfold.

"I...I can't."

Ikuko shook her head. "I know, honey. It's alright. Now just sit down and tell me what really happened. Were you with Mamoru?"

"_Nani?_ _Iie,_ Mama, I mean it's not safe!"

"And why is it not safe?" Ikuko asked with a little sigh.

"Is it because of that thing?" Minau entered the conversation so suddenly it seemed Ikuko had forgotten her very presence. "That thing you know of, but you can't remember its name?"

"_Hai_. I don't know what it will do if I transform. It might do nothing, or it might lash out at strangers for no reason. The Abyss twists everything..."

"The Abyss?" Ikuko repeated slowly. "Just what is the Abyss?"

"I don't know," Minau said honestly. "Serenity has not yet explained that to me. I also do not understand how you, her mother, do not know your daughter is a Senshi. Where did you get your Sailor Crystal from, Serenity? _I_ received the Taraneh Crystal from my mother, Vashti, who received it from her mother. It was the same for my Senshi. Shahdi's mother gave her the Mehrdad Crystal, and Farideh's mother gave her the Kaspar Crystal, and Darya's mother gave her the Assim Crystal."

"What is a Sailor Crystal?" Ikuko cut in. "And why do you insist on calling my daughter Serenity? Her name is Usagi!"

"But you told me it was Serenity!" Minau wailed, looking to Usagi. "Why would you tell me a different name? What's going on? You promised to help me!"

"I am going to help you, Minau, and I didn't lie to you! My mother, Queen Serenity, gave me my Sailor Crystal in the Silver Millennium, when I was the Princess of the Moon. I'm also Tsukino Usagi, and this is my mother now."

"You have two mothers? How do you procreate in this system?"

"The Princess of the Moon? And was your name Princess Kaguya? Usagi, I've heard just about enough!" Ikuko cried, leaping up from her chair. "Why won't you stop this? I don't believe you! You are just a girl, just a normal human girl!"

"I am _not!_" Usagi shouted as she slammed two fists down on the table. Minau slid her chair back, violet eyes wide, as she continued. "I _am_ Sailor Moon! I _am_ Serenity, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, Heiress of the Silver Millennium, and Guardian of the Silver Imperium Crystal! My mother was Queen Serenity, and my father was-"

"Your father's name is Kenji!" Ikuko yelled right back. "_I_ am your mother! You live _here,_ _now,_ with _me!_ You are _my_ daughter!"

_You are mine!_

She felt the anger rearing up inside from that voice, and a sort of desperation. Usagi clutched her chest and wrestled with the surging power. The Silver Imperium Crystal, hidden within her broach, burned against her flesh as it came alive in an attempt to aid her. Even between them, she was not certain she could hold it back.

"Usagi!" Ikuko screamed, and started towards her.

"Mama! Get back, get back!"

_You belong to the Moon! You belong to me!_

"What is it, what's wrong?" Ikuko cried as she moved closer.

"Minau!" Usagi shrieked. "Minau, protect her! _NOW!_"

It swelled, and something within her sparked.

_MINE!_

_"IIE!"_

A flame burst into life in her heart, and though she grasped most of it, some slipped through her fingers to pour forth, white hot, in a wave aimed for her mother.

"TARANEH CRYSTAL ARIA!"

Pink light swirled around Minau, and as it flowed through the air, there came the soft sound of a perfect soprano voice lifted in a wordless song. She moved quickly, throwing herself between the power and Ikuko. Her hair rose in a sudden weightlessness, and her hands came together like Rei as she made a holy sign, lifting them to touch her forehead. Her eyes glowed the color of carnelian. The light condensed at the tips of Minau's fingers. A single note of that gentle song hung in the air. Then she thrust both hands out, and the power of Taraneh streaked forward to meet the white light.

The force of the explosion slammed all three women back into the walls. Usagi shut her eyes against the light, but it stabbed through her eyelids. Just as suddenly, it disappeared, leaving a strange after image burned into her vision.

_A woman, dressed all in white, her silver hair tied up in the royal Lunarian style, knelt on the silver floor of the Prayer Chamber, and clenched something in her hand, something gold. Tears streamed down her face, and fell onto her hands. There was a flicker...there was a flame..._

"Serenity, your mother!"

Her eyes flew open, and she leapt over the shattered remnants of the dining room table. Ikuko sat slumped against the wall, conscious, but staring forward without focus. Minau knelt to one side, and though she looked frightened, she did not flinch away from Usagi as the other girl fell to her knees.

"Was that it? Was that the thing you are afraid of?"

"_Hai, hai,_ of course! I tried to stop it, I caught most of it, but oh, Mama, look at me! _Talk to me!_"

Ikuko turned her head slowly, and her eyes finally focused on Usagi.

"What...what was that?"

"Power, but not the power of the Moon! At least, not the power I'm used to. Mama, are you okay?"

"Am _I_ okay?" Ikuko cried, and she sat up to throw both arms around Usagi. "What _is_ it? What does it want? Sailor Moon doesn't hurt people! Why does it want my baby?!?"

_My baby..._

The voice was soft, still there, but weak.

"I don't know...I think the Abyss made her a little mad," Usagi whispered into her mother's shoulder. "Maybe it made her a lot mad. She's afraid. I understand. I'm always afraid now, too. I've seen things, Mama, horrible things, and my mother...Queen Serenity is gone, and she's left me all alone, and there's no one to help me, and I don't know what's happening! I can't go to Mamoru, he'll get hurt! It hates him!"

"What about your Senshi?" Minau asked, touching her back gently. "Will it turn against them?"

"It's hurt them before. I don't want to risk it again. Oh, Minau, if you hadn't been here, it would have killed my mother! _Arigatou!_"

"She who?" Ikuko interrupted. She pushed Usagi back, but gently, and held her by her shoulders as she studied her face. "You said the Abyss made her mad. It made who mad?"

"I think it's my grandmother. Queen Serenity's mother, the first Queen of the Moon. She was alive before the Sailor Wars, and-"

"Before the Sailor Wars?" Minau whispered sharply. "No, Serenity, not possible. No one remembers the time before the Sailor Wars. My mother said even the stars do not speak of it! Of course, stars do not speak at all, but you understand what she meant."

"Stars _do_ speak," Usagi told her. "I spoke to one, once. But she didn't know where the Abyss came from. I never thought to ask if she knew of the time before the Wars."

"The Sailor Wars?" Ikuko asked. "What...what are those?"

"The Sailor Wars were the ancient battles between the Sailor Senshi and Chaos," Minau explained. "There are tapestries in our Palace, and we have scrolls with the songs of the oldest Soldiers. I remember the songs. There is the Ballad of Galaxia, and the Dance of the Stars, and the Lament of the Flame, and many, many more."

"I don't remember those," Usagi admitted slowly. "I don't think my mother ever had the chance to tell me those tales. The Lament of the Flame?"

"Yes, it's about a Senshi who misses her mother." The other Princess smiled a little. "It is my favorite song. You see, this Senshi's mother was lost into darkness, and she is wondering about all the things her mother did not have a chance to tell her. There was once a flame, where her mother had been, but her mother took the spark with her, and the flame cannot be lit again. It is very pretty."

Usagi stared at Minau, then slid down from her knees to sit on the floor.

"A flame?"

"Yes."

"And a...a spark?"

"Yes."

"Minau...what was this Senshi's name?"

"The song does not say," Minau told her, wrinkling her brow in confusion. "But it was one of the oldest Senshi, as old as Galaxia. She was powerful, too. She is described in the song as strong, and graceful, and...and..."

"And?!?" Ikuko and Usagi demanded together.

Minau raised her eyes to Usagi's, wide and the exact same shade of blue. "And serene. In fact, she is at one point called the Senshi of Serenity. In the song she cries a thousand tears on her Crystal...oh, Serenity, her _Silver Crystal!_ I'm so stupid! I thought it was just the song writer being poetic! Shahdi would have remembered!"

"What else?" Usagi cried out. "What else does the song say?"

"Let me think, let me think!" Minau buried her face in her hands. "I feel like I've been sleeping a thousand years. How can I not remember? I knew _all_ the songs by heart! The Senshi, she fought the darkness with love...no, with light inextinguishable. Yes, that's right. She fought with her Silver Crystal, and she kept her system safe and pure...and she locked the doors, no, she locked the _gates_, and she put three Guardians before the gates of her Kingdom...her Silver Kingdom! And her secrets...she kept her secrets...It was in the space between her gates and her Palace...she kept her secrets _in_...Why can't I _remember?_"

"She kept her secrets in Silence," Usagi finished. "Silence. Saturn! Of course! Titan Castle, in the space between Jupiter and Uranus!"

"_Nani?_" Ikuko gasped. "What does that matter, where Saturn is?"

"You don't understand, Mama. _Saturn!_ The planet between the Outer Senshi and the Inner Senshi! Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna have always taken care of Hotaru, so I never thought, but when my mother spoke of the Outer Senshi, she only _ever_ spoke of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Of course, no one in the Silver Millennium ever spoke about Saturn at all, but that's because no one knew anything about it. Silence, Silence, how could I be so stupid, of course! HOTARU!"

"Hotaru?" Ikuko repeated weakly. "Chibusa's little friend?"

"_Hai,_ but she is also the Sailor Senshi of Saturn! She's the Senshi of _Silence!_"

"Wonderful!" Minau cried out, clapping her hands together. "We have figured that out! What does it all mean?"

"I...I don't know."

All three women deflated as the excitement abandoned them.

"So...we know nothing more?" Minau whispered dejectedly. "We're back to where we started?"

"Minau, I need you to remember your song," Usagi told her. "It was your favorite song! Can't you remember anything?"

"I remember the melody," she said slowly, "and I remember the tapestry. You see, Farideh's mother made a beautiful tapestry after she heard my mother sing the song. It left a picture in Farideh's mind. I can't draw it for you, I can't draw at all, but I remember it was the Senshi, standing in a room, with a great white pillar in the center...but the floor was a sea of stars."

"The Prayer Chamber," Usagi gasped. "The floor was really silver, and it reflected back our Solar System. Minau, I need you to remember!"

"If I had my Senshi, I could think more clearly," Minau moaned. "I don't know what to do without them! They finish my thoughts, and help me keep my memories! I've never done anything alone...Oh, Blessed Mother Inanna, I am _useless!_"

She slammed her fist down against the floor, making Usagi and Ikuko jump slightly. Shaking all over, Minau raised her other hand to cover her face, and took slow, deep breaths.

"I can do this. I can. I have my Crystal...I have the power of Taraneh...I am not alone."

Ikuko took one hand off Usagi's shoulder, and gently touched the top of Minau's head. "_Iie, jou-chan_. You are not alone."

"What is that?" Minau asked, glancing out from between her fingers. "_Jou-chan_. What does it mean?"

"A little girl who is dear to me," Ikuko said simply. She brushed several strands of Minau's pink-gold hair back behind her ear. "I don't...I don't understand any of this. I'm not sure what to believe. But whatever happened in the past, whatever kingdoms or empires or anything else there were, Usagi is my daughter, here and now. _You,_ Minau, are her friend, and if she promised to help you, that means I will help you, too. You will stay here with us. We will figure this out, somehow. And maybe we can help you find your friends."

_Mama, don't! Don't promise that!_

Usagi opened her mouth, but could not push out the words. Perhaps they were not dead. She wanted to believe that Minau would once again see her Shahdi, Farideh, and Darya.

_"Mother! Stop! I'm frightened!"_

But Taraneh's death scream echoed in Usagi's mind, and she saw Inanna, once again, crying before her. Then she blinked, and the star was gone, and there was Minau, the Princess of Inanna's daughter, and she, too, was crying.

"I am so afraid," Minau whispered. "I remember my father pulling me from my bed chamber. I had just finished dressing. He had me by my arm, and was dragging me down the hall, and everyone was _running_, everywhere! I asked him what was wrong, what had happened, but he just said to run faster, _faster!_ And...my uncle, Xenres, he came to my father, and he shouted something about Inanna. Our star. He kept saying, 'She's ruptured! She's ruptured!' But I don't know what that meant. My father pushed me outside, out into the Palace Yard, and my mother was sitting beside the capsule. I had seen it. My mother said it was imbued with the strength of the Taraneh Crystal. My father yelled for her to get in, he shouted, 'Please, Vashti, get in!' And she just sat there, rocking back and forth and crying. She didn't get into the capsule.

"My Senshi were running across the Yard, and Uncle Xenres yelled for them to hurry. Then...Shahdi fell. She was running, and she screamed, and she grabbed her chest, grabbed her _heart,_ and she fell to the ground. Farideh slowed, and turned back to her. She went back for Shahdi. She screamed, too. Screamed and screamed, and she seized her head, and then she was on the ground, just feet from Shahdi. Darya looked back, and she looked like she was dying, but she kept running to _me,_ her Princess, oh, my friends, and she did not scream. Not a sound. She stopped, there in the middle of the Yard, and she went to her knees, and tears were streaming down her face, but she did not make a sound.

"My father pushed me into the capsule. He grabbed my mother's arm, and tried to get her in, but she kept saying, 'No, no, Cyrus, send Minau away, make her safe, but I can't go!' He would never leave without her. So he closed the capsule, and he must have sent it away, because I had this feeling, like I was flying, and I think I saw stars. Then there was this sound, as though something _broke_. It was the sound of _crystal_ breaking. But big, huge, as though all of Taraneh had shattered, all at once. And I think my heart broke with it. I thought I was dying. I remember fire, outside the capsule, but my heart hurt too much, and I did not care. I went into darkness, blessed darkness.

"I don't remember anything else, until I found Serenity."

Ikuko had let go of Usagi completely. Instead, she enfolded Minau in her arms. The Princess did not sob, but lay against Ikuko and shook.

_Mother?_ Usagi glanced wildly out the window, and wished she could see the Moon. _Do I tell her? How can I tell her? What should I do?_

"I want to know. I want to know what happened to my home. I want to know what happened to my friends."

_Blessed Selenity, give me strength_...

"Minau," she whispered. "Minau, I told you that the stars do speak. I know that because...because Inanna came here. The soul of your star was here, and she is the reason I know about the Abyss. She told us what happened."

"What?" Minau sat up straighter. "You did not tell me? How could you not tell me?"

"I didn't know how."

"You know...What happened? Where are my Senshi?"

"I'm sorry, oh, Minau, I can't even imagine, and I am so sorry..."

Minau's lips began to tremble. "They're dead, aren't they?"

Slowly, Usagi said the hardest word she would ever have to say.

"Yes."


	28. Chapter 28

_Disclaimer: They are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, except when they aren't, and then they're mine. But I assure everyone and anyone who gives a damn that I ain't making any money on this…_

_A/N: And we're back to the Firsts…here we go! Thanks go out to Girl Who Writes (there are so many fanarts I wish I could draw, and believe me, Haruka and Seiya in a house together pretty high on my list, and I think the hardest thing for Ikuko would be hearing that Usagi has a "real" mother) Aphrodite's Kiss (if I don't tease you guys, you'll just get bored) Lalaitha Yamainu (yes, Naoko insists only women are Senshi, but Mamoru has a Crystal, that's always seemed weird, and while I'm not quite so anti-Starlights, they are amazingly arrogant, aren't they? Minau is closer to 16, but she is very innocent, and after you know more about Serenity's mother you'll understand why she kept things from her daughter) Bin82501 (you can't equal the original with a sequel, you must attempt to surpass it) Artemis-chan of Redwing (Starlights on Earth again might be the humorous break we're all going to need real soon, and by this point I usually have five or six windows open to keep it all straight) Isis Aurora Tomoe (for whatever reason, as soon as I started writing Minau I really liked her, too, and I'm glad everyone else seems to have taken to her, I love Kakyuu but the Starlights, well, we'll work with them, as for Setsuna…I don't know what you're insinuating! :-P) Sabrina (to be thrown onto a strange world without any idea where you are, or where your friends are…to have no way to reach the mother who has always guided you…I don't think there _was_ any easy way to do that! Usagi matures more in the manga than in the anime, and that's what I'm trying to keep rolling here, I'm happy it seems to be working) and astra-kelly (LOVE the vader refrence, but may no longer be able to take that threatening voice seriously, and yes, sweetie, that is the proper "your") Happy Holidays, whichever way you swing!_

Hotaru and Chibiusa backed up quickly, until they bumped into the four Senshi behind them. A glance left and right showed Ceres and Vesta moving to flank their Princess, with Juno and Pallas taking the rear. As she stared down into those scarlet eyes, the color of the orb in his armor, Hotaru hissed angrily over her shoulder.

"You said he couldn't _see_ us!"

"He can't...he shouldn't...I don't understand..." Vesta breathed.

Slowly, without a trace of concern, the ancient King of Pluto began to mount the stairs. The breeze had begun again, and it rippled his dark emerald hair around him. He was beautiful, as beautiful as his descendant would be, but more than that, he was _powerful._ Every movement was controlled, and from his purposeful steps to merely the way he wrapped his fingers around his staff, Hotaru could feel his might.

With every step forward, the bevy of young women above him fell another step back.

"What _now,_ Ceres?" Juno demanded of her leader.

"If he attacks, we'll just have to-"

"Look!"

Five more heads jerked around to follow Pallas' gaze.

Something like a small shadow moved past them. Hotaru heard Chibiusa gasp softly, and felt her own eyes go wide.

A face almost as white as the marble of the Palace held a pair of eyes the color of the sky at twilight, as the final rays of the sun fade into velvety darness. Dark hair fell down in an inky river past her shoulders, to her slender waist. A violet robe of something soft and flowing, an ancient silk perhaps, draped over her shoulders, nipped in at her waist, and flared out into a wide skirt with a small train. Beneath the robe was a straight, simple gown of paler purple, and tiny amethyst slippers.

She wore no armor. She carried no weapon.

She turned her face slightly, so that the white glow of the Moon hit a purple jewel, ensconsed in a silver tiara. But it was a crown unlike those Hotaru was used to, the simple gold bands of the Senshi or the gentle loops and swirls of Neo-Queen Serenity. Delicately wrought, it came in a twisted band from underneath her hair. Curves of silver crept up from the band along the sides of her head, the largest just behind her ears, and the rest descending down, ever smaller as they moved forward. These little blades disappeared into her hair to suddenly stab through the darkness and glint in the light. The metal spun across her forehead, the curves now little more than thorns. The gem was caught in the center with a simple twist of silver, looping over and around and back into itself again.

_The infinity sign,_ Hotaru mused in wonder. _And her face..._

"Saturn-chan," Pallas whispered, "she looks just like _you!_"

"My quiet little friend," Pluto said, stopping halfway up the stairs. His lips kept smiling, but his eyes held a sort of wariness, as though he were regarding not a small woman, but a dangerous panther about to pounce. "And what are you doing, hiding in the shadows? Or are you spying again?"

The Queen of Saturn stared down at him and said nothing. But ever so slightly, her mouth turned up at the corners.

"Ah," Pluto murmured, and he jogged up the last of the stairs. "Are we friends, then, today? Then let me give you a friendly greeting."

One little hand lifted to touch his shoulder as he bent and kissed her cheek. She kept on smiling as she stepped back, but she touched a finger to her lips, signaling silence, and shook her head.

"What is this? It would help if you would speak, Saturn. No, merely more silence today. I wonder if I will ever hear your voice. Silly little girl. Why should I hold my tongue, hm?" His eyes narrowed again. "Or is it your turn to be spied on? Are we being watched?"

Saturn smiled on, and moved a little to one side to glance around him. She jerked her chin at the bottom of the stairs, and he turned to look. The six unseen girls shuffled, still in a group, to one side to see what was so interesting.

Something bright flickered in the air at the foot of the stairs. It came again, hanging in the air a little longer, red-gold and hot. The feeling of an unseen power began again. This time it came like a wind, hot as a dragon's breath, ruffling the hair of the girls and the ancient ones before them. Hotaru strained forward, now eager to see who would emerge.

Fire burst into being in the air. The first flame swirled, hotter and brighter, and became a ring, which spun to the ground. Heat shimmered in waves in the air, and as insubstantial as they were, Chibiusa and her Senshi took several steps back.

"Mars," Vesta whispered, her voice shaking with excitement. "It has to be Mars!"

"Really? Did the flames give it away?" Ceres muttered, but she did not dare to tear her eyes from that portal for even the second it would take to give her sister a glare.

Two hands stretched up out of the blaze, clad in blood red leather, small black spikes on the knuckles. The gauntlets continued, reinforced with scarred metal on the inside and out of the forearms. Dark gold skin showed dramatically as the gloves stopped just below the elbows, revealing a pair of biceps that made six female hearts beat faster. Black hair came next, tied up high on the head in a topknot. Hotaru guessed, if he let it hang loose, it would fall to no further than his chin. But she did not think much more as his face emerged from the fire. The arched eyebrows, the dark violet eyes, the long straight nose and full lips, all Rei's features, blended together on a face angular and even a little delicate, yet not at all feminine. Perhaps the large scar arcing from the corner of his left eye, across his nose, and down to the right side of his jaw increased his masculinity, but it did nothing to detract from his appeal. The shoulders came next, as broad as they should be connected to those strong arms. Red leather covered his torso in a heavy vest, with a high arching collar, and the hem brushing the backs of his knees. A design of what appeared to be phoenixes swooping through flames had been burned into the very material. The vest was open down the front to display a rippling chest and an abdomen that would have sent women of more romantic natures swooning. Hotaru did not swoon, but she could hear Ceres' breath coming faster. However, the future Senshi of Silence did allow herself the indulgence of following the chains that looped across that fantastic chest, holding the vest half-closed, back and forth a few times. Pants, still of red leather, sat low on narrow hips, held tight by a chainmail belt. Even through the thick pants, the young women could see the strength in his thighs. His boots began just below the knees, red, leather, and armored with metal pocked from many battles.

A quiver of arrows hung from one strong shoulder, and in his right hand he held a bow...made of flame.

"Mars," Pluto called, quirking one eyebrow. "Always an impressive entrance."

The King of Mars stared up at him, his lashes (long and thick, Hotaru noted) lowering to mask his eyes. With one hand he fingered the string of his bow. Pluto laughed softly.

"Careful, Mars. We're on sacred ground. No fighting."

"Would it be worth my while?" Mars murmured. "I could hit you, you know, straight through any armor, into your heart...if you couldn't stop time and get out of the way."

"But I can," Pluto reminded him, his voice silky. "So put that thing away and come play nice. At least give the Queen of Saturn a proper greeting."

Both Mars' eyebrows rose slowly. "Saturn? Where?"

"She is..." Pluto looked to his side, then turned all the way around. Startled, the six Senshi also looked about them. Saturn had disappeared. "She is gone. Again."

"It is a rather annoying habit of hers," Mars agreed, his voice suddenly much more pleasant. He bounded up the steps, two at a time, until he reached Pluto. He offered the hand not holding his bow. "Well, Pluto, and how is your barren rock?"

"Dark and cold," Pluto replied, shaking his hand. "How is that inferno you call a home?"

"Hot, errupting, and full of creatures so vile it would make even your silky locks curl," Mars said with a little shrug. "Damn little demons. They get into everything. My wife is threatening to move to Earth if I can't at least keep them out of the Palace. I told her that unless she would let me burn the place to the ground there is nothing I can do, but apparently that is not a viable option."

"Women," Pluto sighed. "And on that note, what do you think of all this?"

Mars frowned at the double doors. "She set her little spy to greet us. That is not a sign of trust."

"Perhaps Saturn was acting of her own accord. There is no telling what that foolish child will do next."

"Are we certain that foolish child is anything more than a puppet? She follows our Queen of the White Moon everywhere like some little shadow, and whatever the Moon whispers in her ear she keeps always hidden."

"Secrets in silence," Pluto muttered, nodding.

_"Keep our secret in silence."_

Hotaru grabbed her head and gritted her teeth, trying to push away that voice, and the image of faces, _these_ faces, as they disappeared, screaming, into darkness.

"Hotaru-chan, what is it?" Chibiusa whispered, and her hand slipped into Hotaru's.

"I...I just-"

"Sh," Ceres warned. "They're still speaking."

"-no chance she'll consent," Mars was saying. "Ever since she agreed to hold the Flame, she has been irrational. One moment sunny, the next weepy, and she barely ever let's that child out of her sight."

"It took her a long time to conceive a child at all. In fact, some said she was as barren as this Moon," Pluto said, his eyes drifting beyond the lush garden, and out to the rocky, pale surface.

Mars, in turn, studied Pluto's face. "Yes, some did say that. Then...then suddenly her belly was full, and she was most certainly not barren. I wonder, wise Pluto, if you happen to know where little Serenity came from?"

"From her mother, I would assume. But it was your wife who helped Venus and Neptune at the Moon's bedside, so perhaps you know more than I."

"Serenity's mother is no mystery to me," Mars said. "I admit to a great curiosity as to who is that girl's father, though."

Pluto returned his attention to the other King, his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. Then he began to laugh. "You aren't alone in that curiosity, Mars, but I cannot help you. Little Princess Serenity is no child of mine."

"Well, she certainly isn't mine," Mars replied tartly. "Damn, you were my best chance. You're here often enough."

"So are you."

"I am married."

"So am I."

"I love my wife."

Pluto paused, then shrugged slightly. "There you have the advantage of me, I admit. But I tell you again, Serenity is not my daughter."

"Besides," Mars continued as he made a move towards the double doors, "I know what it is to fear my own wife. The weak do not last long on Mars, and she has never faltered."

"She is a treasure. I felicitate you."

The Senshi quickly scrambled out of their way as the pair advanced across the wide marble expanse before the doors. Both Kings passed close enough to reach out and touch, and as Mars' vest nearly brushed against Hotaru, there came a collective feminine sigh. But Pluto had no more than reached out his hand when a strange sound came.

"Another one!" Pallas whispered excitedly. "Back to the stairs! Back to the stairs!"

"So I'm not the last," they heard Mars say from behind them. "Who else is here, besides you and Saturn and me?"

"Other than our fair White Queen? I think we were the first."

Hotaru came to a stop at the very top of the stairs, with the others piling up beside her. Pallas pushed her way to the front, her hands clasped excitedly beneath her chin. Vesta stood beside her, biting her lip, while Juno, behind her sisters, pushed the high red ponytail out of her vision. Ceres squeezed Chibiusa's arm as she leaned forward, and the Princess of Crystal Tokyo seized Hotaru's hand in hers.

Ignoring the Kings speaking behind them, Hotaru tried to identify the sound in the air.

"It sounds like...breathing," Ceres whispered.

Hotaru nodded. It could be breathing, a slow inhale and a gentle exhale...It sounded familiar, something she had heard before. It soothed her frightened nerves, and made her think of home, and her mamas, and her papa, and the way they held her and comforted her. She thought she could hear birds on the breeze...a breeze that was suddenly warm, and felt like silk as it slid over her skin and played with her hair. Her lips turned up at the corners as she listened to that sound, now two sounds, blending together but definitely distinct. She played with the ends of her skirt as it touched her skin, and for the first time in her young life wondered how it would be if someone else were to touch her skin. It was not a strange thought, but a thought all women would have as air scented with something spicy and heady slid a caress over their bodies from head to toe. In fact, did not that other noise seem to be a woman's voice sighing? Or was that laughter? But that first sound...the sound underneath...

"_Iie!_ Not breathing! It sounds like the ocean!" Hotaru gasped suddenly. "And...look!"

A color had appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a tiny glow of light that moved like liquid. Hotaru knew that color well. It was the same shade as Michiru's eyes when she laughed. The light moved, closer to the stairs, then drawing back. Closer, and back, closer, and back, every time a little further each way. The sound of the sea grew.

Then a woman chuckled, low and sultry.

"Wow, they're coming in droves now," Juno said, and she pointed between her sisters.

Molten gold swirled lazily beside the turquoise tide of light.

"Blessed Sol," Mars murmured somewhere nearby. "It's her."

The gold spun around and around in an ever widening circle in a clockwise motion. The aqua marine continued following the motion of the waves, but it also began to swirl, counterclockwise. The sound of the tides and the scent of spices filled Hotaru's head, and from the fast breathing of the two Kings, the effect was not confined to her. Both gold and turquoise began to rise into the air like twisting pillars, the sea-water light just ahead of the gold. They reached ever higher, until the Senshi had to crane their necks back to see.

Then, with the crashing of waves, the tuquoise split down the center. The crack at the top began to open, leaving the liquid light rushing around like curtains of water, and Hotaru felt her heartbeat double as she gazed upon Michiru's ancestress.

Waving hair, the color of the sea, rippled around a face nearly as tanned as Mars'. Big, brilliant eyes like jewels regarded them with a hauty consideration, blinking lashes so dark they might be wet. A perfect nose, slender and slightly upturned, led to a mouth of lucious lips the color of perfect pink petals. That amazing hair, like that Hotaru had brushed while her mama laughed, caressed a swan's neck, and brushed over two slender shoulders encased in a diaphanous material of pale, pale turquoise. The silk poured down, and embroidery studded with pearls rested lightly on her decolletage. The gown barely skimmed her body, but the lightweight and nearly transparent fabric offered glimpses of a tall, slender form. A belt made of seashells strung together dangled from her hips, and a single strand of shells fell down the center of her skirt. Sandals made of something soft and tan woven with pearls encased her long, graceful feet.

Resting lightly on her hair, a tiara of gold rose like cresting waves in the middle, then rushed out on either side. A perfect aqua marine gem, cut into a diamond shape, glistened in the center. Long fingers curved around the handle of a delicate mirror.

She stood for a moment, cool and elegant, framed in that rushing light, and smiled slightly.

"Pluto. Mars. How charming."

"Neptune, and her damned mirror," they heard Mars growl from behind them. "And would _she_ just hurry up?"

Another laugh came, low, but completely feminine. It rushed through Hotaru even more powerfully than that exotic spicy perfume, and in her mind she saw again Mars' mighty arms, sculpted chest, and powerful thighs. Thoughts that had never filled her head before played at the edges of her imagination, images of hands and lips and the sounds of whispers...

With the color, the laughter, and the scent, there could be no doubt who _she_ was.

The pillar the color of sunlight parted slowly, twisting and falling open like the petals of a flower. Hands were the first thing they saw, white and delicate, a simple ring around one finger attached, by a chain of heart-shaped links, to a bracelet on her wrist, etched with ancient symbols. Her arms stretched over her head, then bent and crossed to rest on top of her gold hair. Her flesh was creamy and smooth, and her face made the girls feel suddenly blemished, freckled, and ugly. Sparkling amber eyes swept over the two men, and her full lips, soft and sweet just to gaze upon, turned up slowly...invitingly. Nothing broke the line of flesh from neck to shoulders to collarbone. Thin straps held something soft, something like light satin, and as brilliant as her hair, on the edges of her shoulders, and they looked as though they might slip away at any moment. Satin curved over each breast, just maintaining modesty as it plunged down in a v-shape, through the cleft between the breasts, down her sternum, and finally tempering to a point just below her navel. A silk cord laced across all that exposed flesh, hiding nothing and barely keeping the fabric together. Her body was not so slender as Neptune's, her hips and breasts fuller, her abdomen curved deliciously and promising health and vitality. The satin fit tightly over hips and thighs, then spilled down into a full, sweeping skirt, with a long train...and split up the front to several inches above her knees. Shapely white legs curved to delicate ankles, and little feet in sandals that looked nothing like Neptune's. The heels were several inches tall, and gold ribbons wrapped up those beautiful calves to tie below her knees.

"Uh...wow," Juno whispered. "Does Venus ever...dress like that?"

"Dress like what?" Ceres breathed. "There's barely a dress there!"

"Yeesh!" Chibiusa added in a somewhat horrified voice. "Mina-chan!"

"Well, it's not _actually_ Minako," Hotaru reminded them all.

It was a hard thing to remember, though. More mature, and far more direct, the face was still eerily reminiscent of the goddes of love Hotaru knew in the present. Yet for all her dramatic appearance, her single mark of sovereignty was simplistic. A single chain of gold links, also heart-shaped and familiar to anyone who knew Sailor Venus, lay on that loose mane of sunlit waves. The chain dropped in the center of her forehead, where a yellow jewel glowed like a little star.

"Venus," Neptune said, and turned her head to the other woman, "do you see who our sweet Queen of the White Moon has left here to greet us?"

"Ah, Neptune, do not mock," Venus murmured, her every word a caress. "Such a handsome pair, and both so...rugged. Masculine. Absolutely delightful. Don't you think?"

"I do _not_ think. You say rugged, but I say ragged. And such _little_ specks of dust they call home. What is the joy in guarding your depressing rocks?"

"My world is no smaller than Venus!" Mars snarled angrily.

"But barren, and dull," Neptune sighed. She raised her mirror, and gazed into the glass for a moment. Her pretty mouth turned into a petulant little pout. "Blessed Sol, Mars, what _are_ those creatures parading all around your...do you call that a Palace? It's all broken rock and fire coming out of everywhere!"

"That's enough, Neptune," Pluto said in a surprisingly placid voice. "Come, my ladies, we might as well cry friends! We are all evenly matched, as we have proven time and time again, through so many silly battles amongst ourselves. Besides, we are on the White Moon. Those are laws even you will not dare to break."

In one fluid motion, Mars had his bow in his hands, and a single arrow nocked.

"I've heard enough as well. You will either close your portals and behave civily, or I will pop those little bubbles of your home worlds."

"And he speaks of behaving civily!" Neptune trilled, pressing her mirror to her lips coyly as she laughed. "Shall we be good, and do as he says, Venus? He looks like he's about to throw a proper temper tantrum."

"Well, we'll do this one thing he says, but I make no promises to be good," Venus replied, her smile widening.

The light began to fade, and Mars returned his arrow to the quiver, and his bow to his shoulder. Both women touched the ground lightly, and strode forward as their power winked out behind them. Even on those stunning heels, Venus had no problem taking the many steps to the Moon Palace. As they reached the men, Neptune held out a hand to Pluto. He took it, bowing over it with amazing grace and kissing her fingers. Venus slid past him, her skirt stroking over his boots, to lay her little fingers on Mars' chest.

"Hello, my love," she whispered, and her hand slid a little lower. "It has been too long. I think of you every night, as Mars glows bright in my window, over my bed. I would give much to bring that red star _into_ my bed."

Mars smiled down into her face, and she moved to press her full body against him. Somehow, her satin gown did not ignite as it rubbed against his flaming bow. He raised his hand to brush her hair off her shoulder, then fingered her little earring of heart links and amber. "It would be no very hard thing to bring Mars into your bed, my goddess."

"Is that so? And what would I have to do to be granted this night of paradise?"

"Get my wife's permission."

He took both her shoulders in his hands, and pushed her several feet away from him.

"Until then, I will ask you, _again,_ to keep your hands to yourself!"

Pluto chuckled, low and deep, and Neptune smiled. She looked once more into her mirror, then turned it to show Venus. Hotaru and the other girls slid a little closer to see what was reflected there.

A beautiful woman, clad in brilliant red silk and battered metal armor, held a bow in gloved hands. She had an arrow at the ready, her violet hair fluttering back from a beautiful face, her eyes narrowed, and she let it fly. Something screamed from beyond the edges of the mirror. Rei's fierce smile appeared on her lips, and she moved purposefully forward. A band of hunters hurried to follow her, there was a shimmer of silver, and the mirror was nothing more than a looking glass again.

"I don't know, my dear," Neptune said, slipping the mirror into her belt. "She is lovely, and you are not very useful with a bow. Is he worth all this effort you keep putting into him?"

"Oh, yes. Because I know, when I finally win him, he will put all his _effort _into me."

"And then his wife will kill you both," Pluto finished with a wide smile. "Until then, ravishing Venus, I am afraid you will have to content yourself with men who are a little less devoted to their wives."

"Like you? Pluto, are you offering to put some effort into me?"  
He took her hand, and bowed as elegantly as he had for Neptune, but this kiss was slower, and lingered on her white flesh. "My goddess, I would put all the effort into you that you could take."

Venus rolled her shoulders, and the thin straps became even more perilously perched on the ends of her shoulders. "Do not, Pluto, make guarantees you cannot live up to."

"Who is to say he can't?" Neptune asked. She swept past Venus and Pluto, and raised her face to Mars. After a moment, he smirked, and touched his lips chastely to hers. She caressed his cheek, and her smile went from haughty to tender for a moment. She kept her arm around his shoulders as she craned her neck to look at the other two ancient powers. "I have great respect for Pluto's efforts."

"Has he demonstrated these efforts to you before?" Venus asked, her eyes alight with interest. "And you never told me!"

"I don't share _everything_ with you, dearest."

"I think I am tired of hearing about Pluto's...efforts," Mars grumbled. Neptune released him, opening her mouth with a smile, but he reached forward and clamped her lips together. "As for interesting greetings, Saturn was waiting when Pluto arrived. I find that _very _interesting."

Neptune pulled herself free of his fingers and turned uncertain eyes to the others. Though now pressed as close as she could be to Pluto, Venus' brow wrinkled in an unhappy frown.

"The violet shadow was waiting for you? What is she playing at, setting spies on _us?_ We are not commoners, or mortals! This has to be stopped!"

"She is losing her clear vision," Neptune added. "I think that damned Flame is burning it away."

"The Flame is dangerous," Venus murmured. "I don't like the changes it is making on her. When she was giving birth, she left her Crystal lying on the table, but she clenched the other in her hand until it made her bleed. It made her _bleed!_ It can mark _our _flesh! We can't-"

"Be silent, Venus!" Mars snapped. "Not here! That bloody little spy can slip up on us without a sound!"

Neptune gestured agitatedly at them all. "I don't know...this plan! Mercury's plan! Will it do what we think? Perhaps the Moon is right, perhaps this is a mistake!"

"Neptune, in the name of Sol, don't be weak now," Pluto hissed. "If we do not stand united, we cannot convince her. We are doing what is right. Damn it, love my wife I do not, but my _son?_ How can I _not_ try to protect him?"

"Are you implying that I don't want to keep my daughter safe?" Neptune started back angrily. "You arrogant bastard! You and your son can just step out of the Time Line if this goes wrong! _My_ daughter will have nowhere to run!"

"It won't go wrong!" Venus murmured soothingly. "Mercury's inventions have _never_ gone wrong! Neptune, dearest, my sons are in as much danger as your daughter. So is Mars'...what is it again?"

"My _daughter_," Mars growled. "And my wife! My Myrina will be in the line of fire, too, Neptune. She believes in me, in all of us! We can do this, we can secure this system, perhaps the whole galaxy, but not if you lose your courage now!"

"What does your mirror show you?" Venus urged. "What do you see there, Neptune? Do you see our destruction? Or do you see us triumphant, no longer afraid of the powers that can crush us?"

"The mirror shows me nothing," Neptune whispered. "Nothing! Whichever way we go, we are on our own. But is that what this is all about, Venus? Is it about power? About _being_ powerful?"

Hotaru frowned, looking between each of those four, ancient faces. "Do you get the feeling we're missing something?"

"What does power have to do with ridding Creation of evil?" Vesta mused softly.

She heard Chibiusa draw in a breath to speak, but she was not given a chance.

"Strip me of my powers, my jewels, and my Palace," Venus said angrily, "just promise my sons a life without the fears we have known! I will _not_ have them living in terror of the very heart of their own system! If we can-!"

A small hand grasped Venus' wrist. Senshi and ancients alike twisted around in surprise to see Saturn standing there, her eyes lifted to Venus' face. Once again, she laid a finger across her lips, and shook her head.

"What is this?" Venus hissed, shaking her hand off. "What do you want? Why don't you _speak?!?_"

Mars' hand closed on the back of her neck, and he whispered harshly, "Venus, shut up!"

Hotaru saw it, too. The double doors to the Moon Palace were opening. Someone stood there, silver hair tumbling down from the Royal Lunarian hairstyle. She wore a slim white gown, as simple as Queen Serenity's, but with a soft skirt in layers of transparent silk, more like the Princess's. Unlike the future Moon Court, the waist line was not high under her breasts, but natural, and sloped down over her hips. She wore no jewelry. It surprised Hotaru to see she also had no crown, unlike the other two queens. Her face, her hair, every line of her reflected her daughter, and her granddaughter...except her eyes. They were not full of the gentleness Hotaru knew, but a sort of wariness, and an infinte sadness. A silver belt hugged her hips, and to the shock of six Senshi, two things dangled from the chain. One Hotaru knew in the very depths of her soul; the Silver Imperium Crystal, shining with the light of the White Moon so the Queen seemed to glow even brighter. Right beneath that was a gold charm, like a starburst, with a second Crystal in the center. This one reflected colors wildly, sometimes gold or white or silver, as though...

"It's like there's fire caught in there," Pallas whispered.

"Fire...a Flame," Hotaru breathed. "That, girls, is the Flame they keep talking about."

Juno leaned over their shoulders, and Hotaru could almost feel her confused frown. "So...what is it?"

The Queen of the White Moon glided out of her Palace, and confronted the others with a cold, empty stare. She took in all their faces, and she did not miss the furtive glances thrown at the second Crystal on her belt. Slowly, she shook her head.

"You need not have come. My answer is no."


	29. Chapter 29

_Disclaimer: They are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, except when they aren't, and then they're mine. But I assure everyone and anyone who gives a damn that I ain't making any money on this…_

_A/N: Okay, this is kind of a recap chapter, to be honest, but the Senshi are going to come up with some answers, too. Thanks this time go out to Aphrodite's Kiss (I was afraid there was almost too much going on, that's why I decided to break that scene, glad you didn't find there were too many Ancients) isis aurora tomoe (I was thinking of those myths, but I have Mars happily married, which throws a twist into it, and there are more secrets) Bin82501 (again, the interplay of Mars and Venus was deliberate, but consider it the beginning of the myth that got changed over the centuries) snoopykid2991 (I am going for more, thank you) Lalaitha Yamainu (ah, the Flame will be explained, and it isn't precisely Chaos Venus is worried about) PrincessQuint (yes, but so many new characters, I thought you guys could use a break, and the Queen of the Moon's answer will make sense in a bit) goldnheart (the Ancients have more complex relationships than their descendants, and Neptune and Mars are...close, no, not physically) Lysia Croft (the Flame will be explained, watch close in this chapter, and so will Saturn, and Myrina could kick Venus's ass if necessary) Sin Katt (I'm just glad your here now, honey) Sunwritten (I think for me the Ancients are the most exciting part, so I love that everyone is so interested in them!) Artemis-chan of Redwing (in one of the pictures in the artbooks, Saturn is depicted with the Quartet and Chibiusa, so that's kind of the way I went, plus Chibiusa and Hotaru _have _to be together in a fic, I love them)_

Ami looked up from her computer and shook her head.

"I don't know, Mamoru. A star-shaped jewel? And you said her eyes were _silver_?"

"_Hai._ Her hair was silver, too."

"Well, that was her natural hair color in the Silver Millennium," Minako reminded them all. "What else?"

"We were in the Prayer Chamber of the Moon Palace," Mamoru said slowly. "We were dancing. She said the music was the music of the stars."

"Inanna sang," Michiru murmured, "and so did Amaterasu. That all makes sense. But a different crown, with a star in it? _That_ doesn't make sense."

"And someone else was dancing with you? Someone who talked to her?" Makoto asked.

"Someone who did _not _like Earth," Mamoru clarified. "Someone who wants to keep Usako away from me. It was the same voice I heard when my phone exploded."

They had been sitting around their park table for several hours, going over and over all that Mamoru could remember of what little Usagi had said on the phone, and what he had seen and heard in his dream the night before. Most sat upright as they racked their brains, but Minako slumped forward as though her head hurt, and Haruka shot wary looks around the park at any who came too close to the table.

Ami scratched at her forehead and wrinkled her nose. Standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders, it took all of Zoisite's self-control not to lean down and kiss that little nose, especially when she tipped her face up to his. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he pushed away his other thoughts to focus on the problem at hand.

"We know that Earth was forbidden to the people of the Moon Kingdom," Zoisite said, looking away from Ami to the others. "We know that Usagi is exihibiting powers we've never seen before, not even Pluto, who has seen her future as Neo-Queen Serenity. So this is a twist in the Time Line that began when Inanna pushed her way out of the Abyss. We're all agreed with that, right?"

"It must have been a powerful twist to the Time Line, to bring the four of you back from the dead," Haruka added. "I never quite understood how that happened."

"The physics of a black hole can manipulate time and space," Ami told them. "Though why it was just the four of you...that is weird."

"I'm not complaining," Makoto muttered. She sat on the edge of the picnic table, leaning back into Nephrite, who stood with his arms looped loosely around her waist.

"Well, none of us are complaining, except sometimes Haruka," Rei said, "and whatever Inanna did to the Time Line is irrelevant to our problem right now. She came out of the Abyss, but she did not create it."

Mamoru suddenly sat up a little straighter. "Something followed her out of the Abyss."

"We know that, Mamoru. Those whispers, and that wave of darkness...though that technically followed Minako," Ami added.

"Well, I...I didn't blow up my own house!" Minako growled defensively. "Or lock Kunzite into the basement!"

"She _barricaded _me into the basement," Zoisite corrected her. "She actually nailed the door shut."

"Oh, that's much better," Rei said, smirking.

"Not _Inanna,_" Mamoru broke in angrily. "Usagi! She said something followed her out of the Abyss. This thing, this person, this _woman_, she came out of the Abyss!"

"How?" Minako asked.

"What, like another star?" Jadeite spoke almost over her.

"_Iie._ Not a star...the Moon."

"The...Moon...came out of the Abyss?" Ami murmured, eyeing Mamrou uncertainly. "_Ano..._how?"

"Not the _Moon,_ as in the satellite," Mamoru said, gesturing vaguelly over their heads. "This woman, she kept saying that Usagi belonged to her, kept talking about blood, and when Usagi mentioned Queen Serenity, her mother, that voice...that voice said, 'My baby'."

The others all looked to one another, and Zoisite could almost hear the thoughts tumbling over each other in their heads. Looking into Ami's brilliant blue eyes, Zoisite could see the problems lining themselves up, and he nodded to her, because he could follow those thoughts without a word.

"Zoisite and Ami look like they're about to say something wise," Jadeite said. "Which is good, because I'm still at a loss for what's going on."

"Maybe if you'd gotten a little more sleep last night, your brain would be moving a little faster," Kunzite muttered under his breath.

"Jealous," Jadeite shot back as Rei just smiled.

"When Usagi talked about the creation of the Abyss," Ami cut in, "she said that our ancestors, the forerunners of the Silver Millennium, were the ones who built this prison. She also said that when it went...wrong, the ten Ancestors disappeared."

"But," Zoisite took over, "even Queen Serenity admitted that she didn't know what happened to them. She _thought_ they died, she felt her mother torn away from her, but she didn't _know_ if they were dead."

"Are you saying that...that Queen Serenity's mother...that all the Ancestors were pulled into the Abyss?" Haruka whispered in shock. "If they were, they would most certainly be dead! Remember the things that Inanna said, about what it was like in the Abyss? And she was a _star_! These people, they...they would be _shredded!_ The wouldn't stand a chance!"

"But, Haruka," Ami said earnestly, "they weren't human! They were powerful, at least as powerful as Sailor Senshi. Maybe more so. And the royal bloodline of the Moon has always been the most powerful of all. If anyone could survive in there, it would be Queen Serenity's mother."

Minako sat with her head down, chewing her lower lip. Then she raised her head, and those blue eyes looked grave. "That would explain why she was violent towards Mamoru, too. Amaterasu said that..." She winced apologetically at Mamoru. "She said that the Earth was the one who let go. So this Queen of the Moon might blame you, or at least your ancestor. She might think she's protecting Usagi."

"She can go to hell!" Mamoru burst out, pushing himself up from the table. He walked several feet away, then stopped, his shoulders bunched with rage. "If she is talking to Usako, how can she believe that I would ever harm her? I _can't_ hurt her! She's...she's...she's everything to me. She's the mother of my _child!_ She's going to be my _wife!_"

Nephrite shook his head, his chin brushing over Makoto's hair. "This Queen doesn't know that-"

"She does! I said it! I _screamed_ it! She just said that I couldn't be trusted, and that...that the blood of Earth would never be allowed to leave this soil."

There was silence, and Zoisite cursed a brilliant mind that could only tell him bad news. He tried, but he could think of nothing that would help his Prince. From the looks of the others' faces, he was not alone in this dilemna.

"What about the other woman?" Nephrite spoke up suddenly. "You said there was a strange woman who appeared to have had her eyes ripped out of her head?"

"Ew!" the younger Senshi chorused, and even Haruka and Michiru made horrified faces.

"_Hai,_ she was different from the Queen of the Moon. Her voice was gentle, and she called me her son. We were on Earth, in the rose garden. She said..." Mamoru reached up a hand to touch his head. "She said she was to me what the other one was to Usagi. She was my past. She offered me power, but I said I only wanted Usagi back. Then she was talking about life, and the power of Earth, and whoever she was, I heard it in her voice, the way you could hear it in Beryl's voice, or in Professor Tomoe's, or even Galaxia's. The madness that comes with the power. She turned around, and that's when I saw she had no eyes."

Zoisite's hands clenched on Ami's shoulders. He could hear her breathing coming faster, could see her fingers trembling over the keys of the computer. He dared not look down, because he knew his fears would be reflected in her eyes. But he could hear those voices, the voices of the Abyss, buffeting all of them in their rage during that desperate battle to leave the darkness.

"_TREACHEROUS BRAT OF A TRAITOR LINE!_"

"Oh, blessed Sol," Michiru whispered from Zoisite's other side. "Oh, please, tell me this isn't what Usagi's been hiding from us."

"_Nani?_" Haruka asked. "Love, you're so pale! What is it?"

"What did she say about the Queen of the Moon, Mamoru?" Ami demanded. "Did she...did she call her anything?"

"She talked about the Moon. The Silver Moon, the Silver Millennium...something about how they were always the chosen ones. Why?"

"What else?" Zoisite asked. "What else did she say?"

"She said...I think she was saying she loved the Queen of the Moon, but I can't be certain. She wasn't very clear. I told you, she was mad."

"What are you thinking?" Minako interrupted. "What do you think that Usagi has been hiding? Somebody, say something!"

"When we were inside the Abyss," Ami said slowly, "for a time we were unconscious, but Usagi and Inanna were not. I think Usagi spoke to the Abyss. I think it told her something."

"It told her _what?!?_" Haruka nearly shouted. Several people sitting at a nearby bench looked their way in surprise. "What does any of this have to do with some eyeless bitch?"

The people on the bench hurriedly rose and began to walk away.

"Haruka, please!" Michiru hissed. "At the very least, keep your voice down! And don't you remember what the Abyss said to Usagi as we were fighting our way out?"

"It was saying lots of things, but Usagi said not to listen," Makoto reminded them. "So...we didn't. We were just trying so hard to get _out_ of there."

"And that's the reason we did get out of there," Kunzite added, "because we believed in our Princess, and we trusted her."

"She won't be our Princess for long," Minako whispered. "Setsuna says when she turns eighteen she will officially become Queen of the Silver Millennium. Of course, the better part of the Silver Millennium is sitting at this table, but that's beside the point. Her power in the Abyss was something only the Queen of the Silver Millennium can use. That's why Setsuna says Queen Serenity is gone for good."

"The Abyss said, 'Her Kingdom is built on lies!'" Michiru recalled. "It also said, 'They are _our children!'_ That was when the Princess told us not to listen to them. We thought it was because they were saying things to distract us, but perhaps Usagi was trying to protect us from the truth she had already learned."

"What truth?" Minako asked. "Are you saying..._iie,_ Michiru. They can't be! That doesn't make sense!"

"The Abyss came about because our Ancestors were trying to get _rid_ of evil," Rei added harshly. "So how can you suggest...I don't believe it!"

"It does make sense," Ami whispered, and Zoisite's heart nearly broke as he saw the tears standing on the ends of her lashes. "Queen Serenity could not have told her daughter the truth, because she didn't know what had become of her mother, of all of them. But it's true. They were drawn into the darkness, and it overcame them."

Mamoru finally turned around, his eyes wide. "They _became_ the Abyss. They are the voices attacking Usagi, not because she broke free, not because she is pure or Sailor Moon, but because she is the heir to the Moon Kingdom. This is some kind of..._revenge_ on her grandmother!"

"_Why?_" Minako wailed. "If they were all drawn into the Abyss, why do they hate her so much?"

"Something must have happened, something that made the Queen of the Moon able to resist where the others couldn't," Zoisite said. "Somehow, the Queen of the Moon was able to get out, to get to Usagi. All this power she's using, this power she can't control, it came to her after the Abyss, right?"

"Right," ten people chorused, nodding their heads.

"Okay...okay. So, then, this woman, the Queen of the Moon, she brought this power out with her, and gave it to Usagi."

"Hold up," Makoto said, raising her hand for their attention. "If she gave it to Usagi, why is she being such a pain? Why not give it to Usagi and just, you know, leave her alone?"

"She's almost obsessed with her," Mamoru said as he slowly returned to them. "She wouldn't let her go, and she kept saying, 'She is mine'. Over and over."

Ami rubbed her temples and shook her head. "Well, think about it. All of _our_ Ancestors are the Abyss, _hai?_ They called the Queen of the Moon and Usagi...all sorts of things."

"They called her a traitor, and a liar, and implied her line was not the true rulers of our system," Michiru clarified.

Minako looked at her with raised eyebrows. "How do you _remember_ everything thing they said?"

"I remember pretty much everything I hear. It's part of being a musician."

"_If_ the Queen of the Moon was the only one not overcome by the darkness," Ami continued as though the other two had not spoken, "then for however many centuries, or rather millennia, they've all been trapped in there, they've been warring against each other. She doesn't trust Earth, but I bet she doesn't trust us, either. Our blood, in her eyes, must be as untrustworthy as Mamoru's."

"That would explain why she blasted us across the room," Makoto agreed unhappily.

"She didn't mean to do that," Nephrite said. "Galaxia-sama said she thought she was in battle, and was lashing out at the enemy, only the enemy wasn't there. So Usagi has never attacked us, which means she isn't letting her grandmother control her."

"Great," Haruka groaned, stretching until her back popped. "Usagi is under attack not only from the Abyss, who has an annoying tendency to pop up in her dreams, which manifest as very real attacks, but also from her own grandmother from the Silver Millennium, who has gone wacky. And we still don't know where she is. Oh, this is good news."

"I'm going to find her," Mamoru said. "I'm...I'm so worried. For a second, I was willing to take whatever...that woman was willing to offer me, if it would get me Usagi back."

"Was that before or after you saw she had no eyes?" Jadeite asked.

"Before. After that I was less inclined to hear what she had to say."

Michiru rose from the bench suddenly, and glanced at her watch. "Look, let's just go back to our house, before Haruka manages to alienate the _rest_ of Tokyo. Besides, I could use some shade, and Ami will be more comfortable in a chair if she has to be stuck on that computer for the rest of the day. Come on."

No one argued as they rose stiffly from the benches where they had been seated for too long. Jadeite walked with his arm around Rei's waist, Nephrite with his arm draped over Makoto's shoulders, Kunzite with Minako's arm tucked in his, and Zoisite took Ami's hand. After several steps, he saw his Prince's eyes staring straight at their interwoven fingers, and his face was etched with a sadness Zoisite had never seen there before.

Ami glanced at Mamoru, then averted her eyes as though she had seen him naked. Zoisite shook his head; Mamoru was bare before them in a way he had never been, not even to his trusted Shitennou. He knew only Usagi had ever seen this side of Mamoru, and it hurt that she was not here to take that pain away.

_Or has she? He is obsessed, too, obsessed with protecting her, to the exclusion of even what he wants. He loves her, but he is so worried about her as his Princess that he has blinded himself to her as a woman. For once, Jadeite actually knew what he was talking about._

The day dragged on in the house of the Outer Senshi. Ami sat typing querries to her computer, any form of their questions they could imagine, with very little in the way of results. Zoisite perched on the arm of her chair and read over her shoulder, aware that the others were moving around them, speaking, cooking, sighing and shaking their heads. Someone gave him a drink, but he barely looked away from the computer screen, and could not later have said what he drank.

Of all the information on Ami's computer, what had survived the fall of the Silver Millennium and the rise and fall of Saturn's Glaive had been tucked away for her access. Unfortunately, there was not much left.

Just after midnight, Zoisite blinked at the information scrolling across the screen, and nudged her shoulder.

"Go back. What was that?"

Ami, half-asleep, jerked her head up and nearly smacked him in the nose. He moved out of her way, and she hit the button to go back.

"What did you see?" she murmured. For the first time in hours, Zoisite looked up at the room, and found it was strangely empty. Haruka lay on the loveseat, her cheek pillowed in her hand. Makoto and Nephrite were curled up together on the couch, also asleep. Other than that, they were alone.

"Where did everyone go?"

Ami raised her head and looked around as well. "I don't know." Then she looked back at the computer screen, and gasped.

"Blessed Helios!" Zoisite whispered. "What is that?"

"Hang on." Ami's fingers flew over the keys, and a small box of text appeared at the bottom of the screen. Zoisite leaned closer to read the tiny words, then turned his head towards Ami.

"That's nice. What is it?"

She turned in surprise, then smiled a little. "Oh, it's my shampoo. Cherry blossom. Do you like it?"

"Hmm. Let me think about it." He buried his nose in her hair, and took a long, deep breath. "_Hai,_ it's very nice."

Ami giggled a little. "_Arigatou._ I have matching body lotion."

"Body lotion? Really?"

He could feel her giggling as his chest was pressed to her shoulder, and he trailed his nose down her neck to nuzzle just behind her ear. "Also very nice. Do you have matching lip balm?"

"_Iie._ That's vanilla flavored."

"Really?"

"What are you doing?"

Zoisite sat up quickly to see Mamoru and Michiru standing just behind them, Mamoru looking startled, Michiru trying, and failing, to hide a grin.

"Nothing," Zoisite said quickly. "I'm just, uh, haha, look! We found something!"

"And it's in Ami-chan's hair?" Michiru said on a giggle.

Ami, face burning red, shook her head. "It's in the computer. Look at this!"

Mamoru edged around Zoisite, again giving him an uncertain look. Michiru moved to kneel beside Ami's knees and craned her head to look at the screen. Her eyes widened, but it was Mamoru who drew in his breath quickly.

"_That_ is the thing Usagi was wearing on her forehead!" Mamoru said, tapping the screen. "What is this?"

"It says, 'A tattered tapestry that survived the Sailor Wars, from Queen Serenity's personal collection in the Moon Castle. A wedding gift.'" Ami stared at the little box of text, then looked up and shrugged. "That's it."

Zoisite looked from the useless words to the image on the screen. Tattered was not the proper word for the image of the piece of cloth. It was singed, torn, and little more than a handful of strings clinging desperately together. But there in the woven strands was most assuredly a six-pointed gold star.

The very center of the tapestry had been burned out in such a perfect circle he found it hard to believe it was not deliberate.

"Is this from before or after the fall of the Silver Millennium?" Mamoru asked. "This is what the tapestry looked like after the war, right?"

"_Iie._ What little information I have on this was from the last little bit of power in the computers in the ruins of the Moon Palace," Ami explained, frowning slightly. "After Beryl took you, when we went to the Moon, there wasn't much power left, but there was enough for Queen Serenity to project a...a memory in the form of a hologram. We took what we could, but after the war, and after thousands of years, there just wasn't much left."

"So this is the tapestry as it was given to Queen Serenity," Michiru whispered. "Why in the cosmos would someone give her a tapestry that, if it did survive the Sailor Wars, _barely_ did so?"

"It seems like a lousy wedding gift," Zoisite agreed. "Who _was_ Queen Serenity's husband, anyway? I only remember the Queen, no King."

"He died," Ami said slowly, "before Princess Serenity was born. I...I don't remember his name. I don't remember where he came from. It was as if, when he died, everyone just forgot about him, or didn't talk about him. Serenity rarely did. I don't remember the Queen even _mentioning_ him."

"Well, look him up in the computer," Michiru urged her. "That has to have been saved."

Ami typed in the words, "King of the Moon."

Immediately, the computer came back with, "No matches found."

"_Ano..._okay, how about this?"

"Princess Serenity, Father."

"No matches found."

"Queen Serenity, Husband."

"No matches found."

"Apparently there were no men on the Moon," Zoisite said. "The women of the Moon just get pregnant and produce heirs. Turns out you aren't needed, my liege."

"_Arigatou,_ Zoisite. Shut up."

"_Gomen._"

Ami tapped her fingers lightly against the keys and thought. "There _was_ a father. I don't remember a name, but Serenity saw her mother sitting on the edge of the fountain once, and she looked like she was about to cry. Serenity said, 'She's thinking about father again.' That was it, the only time I heard her say anything about him, but he existed. It must be some of the information that was lost."

"I wonder," Michiru whispered. As the other three looked at her, she gave a little twirl of her hand, and her mirror appeared. She raised it to her face, and looked hard into the glass. It shimmered, and their dead Queen appeared, perhaps a little younger than they remembered her. She was laughing, her eyes shining with joy, wearing her simple white gown and spinning as though dancing. She put out her hand, and another hand took hers. The hand was strong, the wrist wide and the fingers broad. A small scar lanced across the back in a diagonal. Then Queen Serenity pulled on that hand. For a moment they caught a glimpse of powerful shoulders, dark hair, and silver armor flashing in the moonlight.

Something cut across the image, something that flashed with a violet light, and the mirror went dark.

"What happened?" Zoisite asked in surprise. "That was him, right? That was Queen Serenity's husband?

"It must have been. I don't know what happened!" Michiru admitted. "My mirror has never done that before!"

"That looked almost like-"

A knock sounded from the front door.

Ami fell silent, and looked at the tiny clock on her computer. Her eyes widened in horror. "It's twelve-thirty! I have school tomorrow! I mean, today! I can't skip, my mother's going to kill me!"

"Why is someone knocking on our door after midnight?" Michiru asked, rising from her knees with an uncertain face. "Who would come by at this time?"

"My mother, to kill me!" Ami hissed, slapping her computer shut. "No wonder everyone else is gone! How could you not tell me what time it is?"

"This is kind of important, Ami-chan," Zoisite reminded her. He also rose, and slipped his dagger from the waistband of his pants, in case it were someone other than Ami's mother.

"I know, I know this is important, _gomen,_ Mamoru, I'll stay if you want, I can miss a day of school, but how can I explain this to my mother?"

"Ami-chan, it's alright!" Michiru said. "We know you have to go to school. We tried to tell you it was getting late, but you ignored us."

The knock came again, and Haruka lifted her head to grumble, "What the hell? What time is it?"

"I'll answer it, Michiru, Haruka," Zoisite said as he crossed the living room, heading for the door.

Behind him, he heard Haruka mutter, "Oh, good, the big strong man will get it. I feel so safe."

"Shut up, Haruka!" Ami hissed.

Zoisite kept his knife hand behind his back as he rose up on his toes to look through the window of the front door. Five people stared back, and his eyebrows went up. Slowly, he opened the door, and tried for a friendly smiled.

"_Konichiwa._ Can I, uh, help you?"

"Oh!" cried the woman in the lead. Her long red hair was caught in an intricate knot on top of her head and held in place by long pins decorated with little flowers. She wore a very simple red skirt, and a black blouse. "I...I am so sorry. I don't think this is the right house!"

"A man answered the door. I doubt this is the right house," a voice behind her said.

Zoisite leaned a little to one side to see the other four. The one who had spoken wore a dark suit with a white shirt, very masculine, but Zoisite knew breasts when he saw them, even under a man's jacket. A long black ponytail hung down her back, identical in length and style as the white and brown hair of the other two women. They were dressed the same as their companion, though one was in pale blue, and the other in maroon. Directly behind the woman in the skirt stood a tall figure that could never be mistaken for a woman, his white hair striking against his black shirt.

"Well, um," Zoisite looked away from the other man's eyes, as cold as Kunzite in a _very_ bad mood, and returned to the kinder eyes of the lead woman, "what house are you looking for? Can I help?"

"_Iie,_ that's alright," the woman with the black ponytail said with a smirk. "Come on, I find it hard to believe that we can't get _one_ night in a hotel. The famous Three Lights?"

"_NANI?!?_"

"Haruka! Haruka, get back here! Get back here right now!" Michiru shouted from the living room

"What's going on?" Makoto asked sleepily. "Are we under attack? Ow, Nephrite, that's my hair!"

Haruka appeared around the corner, her fingers automatically combing her hair back into something like order. She nearly pushed Zoisite aside, and stared for one long moment at the five people in her doorway.

The dark one smiled pleasantly at her. "_Konichiwa,_ Haruka-san. I hear we're going to war?"

"Oh, Setsuna, I'm going to kill you."

_A/N again: Yeah, took a little liberty with Ami's computer, made it a little more like modern computers, and I just threw a little information from the Silver Millennium on there, because if there was enough power for Queen Serenity to capture a hologram of herself in the computers, then why wouldn't they be able to get at least some info? Just go with it, folks. _


	30. Chapter 30

_Disclaimer: They are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, except when they aren't, and then they're mine. But I assure everyone and anyone who gives a damn that I ain't making any money on this…_

_A/N: Oh, man, I am running so late. Alright, here's my update, continuing the saga of the Starlights' return, and I'll do thank you's next time, promise!_

To run away, to leave one's friends and loved ones, and most importantly the liege one had sworn to protect with one's own life, would be wrong, and cowardly, and ignoble.

However, Nephrite was seriously considering it.

He stood just in front of Makoto and Ami, all three of them peering around the corner to the Outer Senshi's front door. Zoisite had pressed himself against the wall to get as far from Haruka as possible. Haruka remained firmly in the doorway, one hand on the doorjamb and the other holding the knob, and did not look inclined to allow whoever was on the other side into her home.

It amazed Nephrite that a spontaneous World Shaking attack did not blast the stranger with the long black ponytail straight off the stoop and into oblivion from just the look in Haruka's eyes. Her fingers curled around the doorknob as though it were the hilt of her sword. Her jaw clenched, and while the other woman smirked, she glared.

"Who in the hell is that?" he whispered over his shoulder to the two young women. "Is she an enemy? Should we be doing something?"

"Haruka and Seiya in the same room?" Makoto murmured in his ear. "We should be hiding. Or at the very lest ducking."

"Zoisite's _in_ there!" Ami wailed quietly. "We have to get him out! What if they start fighting? I just got him back, and I want him to _remain _in working order!"

Nephrite shot her a look over his shoulder, but addressed his words to Makoto. "But who _is_ she? And who are the others?"

"Haruka!" Michiru snapped, brushing past them. She seized her lover roughly by the shoulder and pulled her back several steps. "That is enough! Ah, _konichiwa,_ Princess! _Gomenasai_! Haruka, stop glaring."

"Seiya, stop provoking her," the tall woman in red added over her shoulder. "I am sorry, Neptune, I did not realize how late it would be...you see, it was just after noon when we left Kinmoku. Sailor Pluto said we should find you here."

"Well, you found us," Haruka announced roughly. "But we are not going to war right this particular second, so perhaps you should come back in the morning."

"Haruka," Michiru groaned, "please!"

"I am merely performing my duty, Michiru."

"Of alienating our guests? Well, stop performing for a bit! Kakyuu-sama, everyone, please come inside."

"Michiru, are you out of your-?"

"Haruka."

Every head swiveled around, and Mamoru stepped past the set whispering at the corner and to the base of the stairs. The set of his shoulders and the tone of his voice bespoke not a modern college student, but the Prince of Earth and chosen of the Princess of the Silver Millennium.

"Let them in, please."

Haruka did not like it, and her face did not change, but she grudgingly released her hold on the doorknob, and jerked her head at the strangers to enter.

Four women filed in, though it took several glances to ensure that the three in suits were indeed female. Keeping a deferential distance, the last member of the party, a pale man in all black, was the last through the door. Haruka shut it with far more force than was necessary, and stalked back into the living room.

Zoisite carefully removed himself from the wall, and smiled slowly at the five strangers.

"_Konichiwa._ What's going on?"

Mamoru relaxed into a faint smile. "It's okay, Zoisite. Nephrite, what are you doing?"

"Providing tactical support, my liege," Nephrite replied promptly.

"_Hai,_ Endymion, he is protecting the corner," Zoisite added, "a most valuable tactical position. The General's last words to him before leaving were, 'No matter what happens, Nephrite, hold that corner.'"

"It's true, my lord."

"Zoisite, you sound more and more like Jadeite every day," Makoto announced, and though he could not see his love, Nephrite could almost hear her roll her eyes. "We need to get you boys a little more space. You're...melding, or something."

"I don't want Zoisite to meld with Jadeite," Ami said unhappily. "I like Zoisite the way he is now."

"I don't think we need to discuss what you like about Zoisite again," Makoto muttered with a little smile. "Motoki hasn't quite recovered from the last conversation."

"_Arigatou,_ Makoto," Zoisite muttered through clenched teeth while Nephrite just laughed.

"Oh, uh, _gomen,_ Kakyuu-sama," Ami said, suddenly remembering their guests. "_Minna_, it's good to see you again!"

"Ami-san," the stranger in maroon murmured, and took her hand. "It is good to see you again, too."

"Taiki-san," Ami said with a smile. "Oh, _hai,_ Zoisite, Nephrite, this is Taiki, and that is Yaten-san, and that is Seiya-san, and this is Princess Kakyuu of Kinmoku, and this is..._ano_..."

The pale man gave them a small bow. "Fubuki, the Captain of the Palace Guards."

"The Palace Guards?" Zoisite asked, tearing his eyes from the hand holding Ami's. "Why did you come with your Princess, then? Shouldn't you have remained with the Palace, if that's your duty? Are they Senshi? Ami-chan?"

Ami extracted her hand, and placed it on Zoisite's arm. "_Hai,_ Seiya-san is Sailor Star Fighter, Taiki-san is Sailor Star Maker, and Yaten-san is Sailor Star Healer. They're Princess Kakyuu's Senshi. It's alright, they're our friends!"

"Haruka didn't seem to think so," Nephrite reminded her. "Did we miss something there?"

"Haruka should be ignored at this particular moment," Michiru assured him with a smile. "Princess, please, come into the living room. Would you like some tea? You must be tired after your trip. Teleportation can take so much energy, even with a Sailor Crystal. Or we have soda, water, hot chocolate, and I think some fruit juice."

"Minako finished the chocolate," Makoto murmured from the side of her mouth. "And Jadeite got the last of the soda."

"Tea would be lovely, Neptune, thank you."

"Oh, please, call me Michiru."

With exquisite grace, Michiru let her guest proceed her into the living room, and then ensconsed her in one of the arm chairs. Still talking to put Kakyuu at her ease, she kicked Haruka in the ankle and glanced meaningfully towards the kitchen.

Haruka set her jaw and glowered.

Michiru raised her brows in haughty disapproval.

Arms folded tightly across her chest, Haruka rose from the couch and went into the kitchen.

"I'm still confused as to why you brought the Captain of the Palace Guards," Zoisite said, turning back to the other four visitors. "Do you think she's in that much danger? Haruka's a little tempermental, and territorial, but I don't think she's going to kill anyone."

"Oh, I don't know," Makoto murmured, glancing towards the one called Seiya. "She's been under a lot of stress recently, she could use an outlet."

"We are _not_ outlets," Yaten muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Who are these men?" Seiya interrupted. She gestured between Nephrite and Zoisite, and lost her smirk for the first time. "We don't know them."

"You _are_ being awfully loquacious with them," Yaten added. Nephrite raised his brows at Zoisite, and seeing that, she said, "I mean she is sharing a great deal with you."

"I know the word," Nephrite said harshly, "I'm just a little surprised to find someone actually using it in speech."

"What she is sharing is information about _us,_ and _our_ Princess," Taiki took over. "Why is she telling these men? How do we know we can trust them?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Makoto stood up straighter and thrust her shoulders back. "Nephrite and Zoisite are as trustworthy as we are, Taiki. _You_ are the outsiders here."

"This is a battle to be fought by Senshi," Yaten said. "_They_ are not Senshi."

"I assume he isn't, either," Zoisite shot back, pointing to Fubuki. "He's supposed to be guarding a Palace, apparently. At least we live on this planet."

"I guard the Palace of Kinmoku because that is where Princess Kakyuu lives," Fubuki said. "If she chose to live in a mud hut, I would stand outside it's door with a pot and lid for a weapon and protect her with my dying breath."

Nephrite and Zoisite exchanged a speaking look. The latter shrugged and said, "We respect that."

"You know where Fubuki's loyalty lies," Yaten said. "What about you two? What precisely is your duty?"

Nephrite jerked his thumb towards Mamoru. "We're with him."

"That doesn't answer our question!" Seiya snapped.

"Our loyalty is to the fool in the tuxedo," Nephrite said. "We live for him, we fight for him, we die for him. It's fairly straight forward. However, I'd prefer you not pick a mud hut, my liege. The apartment is tight enough, and I think we've hit the point where we're all looking forward to that Palace in the future."

"I have no desire to live in a mud hut, and I'd prefer my guardians choose something a little more practical than a pot and lid."

"I, personally, would like to see you trying to get Usagi _into _a mud hut," Nephrite admitted on a little laugh.

Makoto punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I think Fubuki-kun was merely proving his point. And it was pretty, and very romantic, too!"

"How much more romantic can you get," Zoisite asked, "than 'Emerald Thunder...' What is the whole thing again?"

Nephrite turned to him and smiled tightly. "Do you want to discuss that lake again, Zoisite?"

"What lake?" Makoto and Ami chorused.

"No lake!" Zoisite shouted. The conversation in the living room stopped, and Michiru and Kakyuu looked towards them with questioning eyes. Zoisite lowered his voice. "I have not gone swimming in a lake in this lifetime, and I don't think it's fair to discuss things that may have happened in a past lifetime, as you can have no proof they actually happened!"

"_Nani?_" Ami whispered, staring up at him blankly.

"A lake in a past lifetime, Zoisite, what are you-Oh!" Makoto cried. "Oh, by the sheer skirts of Venus!"

She burst into a peel of laughter, slapped a hand over her mouth, turned, hurried through the living room and past the startled stares of the two ladies there, and fled into the kitchen.

"What...was...that?" Taiki asked as they all stared after the nearly hysterical Thunder Senshi.

"That was...a very long story," Nephrite said. "Look, Fubuki-kun, why don't you close the door, and we can go into the living room."

Fubuki did indeed close the door, but instead of moving for the living room, Seiya turned her attention to Mamoru.

"Galaxia and Pluto said that Usagi was dealing with some things," she announced without preamble. "What does that mean? Is she here?"

Mamoru hesitated, surprised. His face once more hardened to be masked in Endymion's icy control. "She isn't here."

"Where is she?"

"We..." Ami sighed and leaned her head on Zoisite's arm. Nephrite noted that Taiki's mouth tightened as she did. "Seiya-san, we don't know where Usagi is."

Seiya's eyes widened, and she rounded on Mamoru with a glare so fierce that it sent Nephrite's hand groping for his blade. "You don't know? How can you not know?"

"It's none of your business," Nephrite growled. "You are here to do battle with the Abyss, not him! Control yourself!"

"You let her go alone, with no one!" Seiya snapped, ignoring him. "What kind of protector are you?"

"That's enough!" Zoisite shouted. He moved to Mamoru's other side, and he, too, gripped his dagger in full view of everyone.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Mamoru said stiffly. "We know Usagi is not alone. She has things she has to do alone, now."

"Alone? You're supposed to be with her! How could you let her-?"

He moved so fast Nephrite would not have been able to stop him if he wanted to. However, he did not feel so inclined, and did nothing as Mamoru's hands closed on the lapels of Seiya's jacket. Taiki and Yaten cried out in protest, but strangely, Fubuki remained silent and still.

Mamoru did not jerk Seiya closer, in fact he did nothing more than hold her jacket in shaking fists, but his voice froze, and his eyes burned.

"My life is Tsukino Usagi," he whispered. "She is everything to me, and she is my love, and my world, and one day she will be my wife, and she will be the mother of my daughter. So, yes, she belongs to me, but no more than I belong to her. She is not my pet, she is not my slave, and it is not for me to _let_ her do anything. If I had one inkling that she needed me, I would leave the gates of hell open to fly to her side. _Do_ you have anymore questions, Seiya-san?"

"Well, I certainly don't," Haruka said from behind Nephrite. A glance over his shoulder at her face showed she had enjoyed the exchange immensely. "However, you're making Michiru uncomfortable, which will ultimately lead to my discomfort, so perhaps you should release her?"

Mamoru's fingers opened slowly, one at a time. Blue eyes remained fixed on dark for a long moment. Then he took a step back, turned, and swiftly mounted the stairs.

Rubbing his forehead, Nephrite winced after his Prince. When Zoisite stepped forward, he put out a hand to stop him.

"Give him some space. We've been in his face since the Princess left, and he just needs a little time alone."

Zoisite frowned, but nodded.

Haruka turned to Seiya, and once more her face was angry and hard. "Remember who you are, Kou. This is _our_ system, she is _our_ Princess. You've returned to your own home and your own lives. You aren't idols on Earth anymore. You aren't _anything_ on Earth anymore. Don't start this again. You will only lose."

"Again?" Zoisite asked in surprise. "Start what again?"

"Never mind," Michiru said softly as she appeared. "Nephrite, Zoisite, Ami and Mako-chan have school tomorrow, and it's already so late. Why don't you walk them home? Kunzite and Jadeite already took Minako and Rei."

"Maybe Jadeite should stop _taking _Rei," Nephrite said as he moved towards the kitchen to collect Makoto.

Zoisite shouted after him, "You're starting to sound like Kunzite!"

"That's not funny."

Makoto stood leaning against the kitchen counter, and though she had stopped laughing, she tended the tea pot with a little smile on her face. She glanced up as he entered, and gave a comical grimace.

"Poor Zoisite. I shouldn't have laughed like that, but it all suddenly came rushing back to me, and I just remembered Serenity giggling like she was five years old, and the look on Mars' face..."

Nephrite grinned. "We teased him about it after he thought he would give Jadeite a hard time. I don't think it reassures Mamoru to know that one of his chosen guardians blushes like a little girl. He screams like one, too, sometimes."

"You're terrible," Makoto told him, her eyes softening on his face. "So what's happening now?"

"Zoisite and I are walking Ami and you home," Nephrite explained. "I think Michiru's decided she needs to take the tension down a few notches, and she can't exactly kick Haruka out, so we're the sacrifices. Mamoru is upstairs."

"Oh, poor Mamoru."

"Poor Mako-chan, too. I know it's killing you not knowing where she is."

Makoto looked away. "Amaterasu is right. I didn't show any faith in Usagi. She's strong. Sometimes I think she's the strongest of us all. She's the only one who didn't buckle to the Abyss."

"Come here."

Nephrite moved to her, and put his arms around her. She leaned against his chest, and gave a long, slow sigh that seemed to take all her strength. He thought he might feel tears on his shirt, but when she raised her face it held a forced smile.

"I suppose we do have to go to school tomorrow. Unless the Abyss swallows us tonight, I can't imagine Ami skipping. It just seems strange to go without Usagi, like things should stop until we can find her."

Unable to think of anything comforting to say, Nephrite smoothed her bangs back from her forehead and kissed her softly, right where her planet symbol would burn emerald and bright. She seemed to take strength from the tiny caress. Her smile became more natural, and she took her weight back to stand on her own.

"Mako-chan? Nephrite?" Haruka walked in with a questioning look. "There you are. What was so funny?"

"I'll tell you another day," Makoto promised. "We're going now. Try not to take out any of the visiting Senshi, please."

"I promise not to take out any visiting dignitaries," Haruka said. "Their Senshi are another matter, especially if Seiya feels the need to get in Mamoru's face again."

"Haruka, Mamoru is our responsibility," Nephrite reminded her. "We are perfectly capable of protecting him from Seiya-san's outbursts."

"Are you willing to hit a woman?"

"Alright, fine, we'll protect him until they need to be hit, and then we'll call you."

Haruka's smile was not friendly. "_Domo arigatou,_ Nephrite."

"Just keep him upstairs for now. I suppose neither of you will get him to sleep unless you spike his tea. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."

"We can't start drugging each other," Makoto interrupted. "It seems to undermine that trust we're working on. Of course I'm worried about Mamoru, but what about Mrs. Tsukino. We're running out of excuses for Usagi not coming home. Did anyone call her?"

"_Iie,_" Haruka admitted with a sigh. "We sent Luna to see what's happening over there, and she hasn't gotten back to us. I'm worried, but Michiru thinks...don't tell Mamoru, but Michiru thinks that Usagi might have gone home. Where else would she go? She needs clothes, and food, and she left without her shoes!"

"She might need her mother, too," Nephrite said softly. "Queen Serenity is beyond her touch forever, now. But Mrs. Tsukino...just because her mother can't protect her from this doesn't mean it isn't the first place she would go for comfort."

Makoto nodded. "Luna belongs to the Moon, too. She wouldn't be seen as an enemy. That's the best we can do, I suppose. Let's get our shoes, Nephrite, and we can go."

The three of them went back into the living room to take leave of those gathered there. The three new Senshi sat together on the couch, while Kakyuu remained in her chair, and Fubuki stood beside and slightly behind her. As Makoto spoke to the Starlights, Michiru took Nephrite's arm and leaned in.

"We'll take care of Mamoru until you get back. Kunzite and Jadeite should return soon, too. Please, take care of Mako-chan right now. She's strong, sometimes we forget we're all she has."

"It's not the business of our Starlight friends," Nephrite whispered back, "but my loyalty is to Makoto, too. You know that."

"I do."

She smiled and turned to say goodnight to Ami. Nephrite saw her press Ami's computer into her hands with a look he could only call warning. The Starlights, busy glaring at Haruka, seemed to have missed it. Nephrite caught Fubuki watching the exchange, but his face was impassive and uncommunicative.

_This is going to be a hard battle, before we even get to dealing with the Abyss._

The two Shitennou and their Senshi left a tense living room with misgiving, and stepped out onto the street. Makoto's apartment lay in one direction, while Ami's upscale home was in the other. They said their goodbyes and parted from each other.

After only a few steps Makoto seized his arm and hauled it over her shoulders. Nephrite laughed a little and pulled her obligingly closer. Her arm went around his waist, she was warm and strong and soft, and she smelled wonderful.

"So, Haruka and the Starlights," Nephrite said. "What's the deal?"

"Well, Haruka's response would be that they are from outside our system, and Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are supposed to protect us from invaders," Makoto said slowly. "The truth, however, is that Haruka didn't like Seiya, or the other two, before we even knew they were Senshi. They were disguised as men, you see, and you know how hostile she can be towards men."

"I do indeed," Nephrite muttered, grinning. "But then she found out they weren't men, but they were invaders, so she just kept hating them?"

"_Iie._ Seiya...Seiya is very fond of Usagi."

"That I picked up on. She sort of went after Mamoru for letting Usagi go off alone. She acted more like one of Usagi's Senshi than one of Kakyuu's."

"_Ano,_ it's not that. Seiya isn't fond of her the way I am. She's fond of her the way...Mamoru is."

Nephrite felt his eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "She's in love with Usagi?"

"She never came out and said that," Makoto said, "but...yeah. This was when Mamoru was gone, we thought in America, so Usagi was a little vulnerable. Haruka thought Seiya was trying to take advantage of Usagi, and she's Haruka, so she thought we'd all be better off if Seiya would disappear. And she was willing to help her along if she had to."

"Ah-hah." Nephrite nodded. "And Taiki apparently took an interest in Ami. She seemed awful interested in Ami's hand, if nothing else."

"They...they're both smart, and they could talk together. Ami can talk to us about a lot of things but there are so many things we just don't understand," Makoto said. "That was before she got Zoisite back. Taiki didn't make her smile the way that Zoisite does. Taiki can be very...aloof. Zoisite has nothing to worry about."

"Okay, good to know. So now what about Yaten? What surprises does she have in store for us?"

"Yaten is more aloof than Taiki. She was pretty focused on finding her Princess and getting the hell out of here. She likes Luna a lot, though. She, when we thought she was a he, was Minako's favorite of the Three Lights. That's what they called themselves when they were just idols. Minako thought Yaten was very, _very_ attractive, and Yaten could occassionally warm up to her. Of course, after the last few months, I think Minako just likes guys with white hair, myself."

Nephrite laughed aloud, and turned to press his lips to her temble. Giggling, she squeezed his waist tighter. They paused automatically at a street corner, though there was no traffic, and coming from the other direction was a tall man with long white hair.

Makoto turned her face into his arm and took deep breaths to try and stop her laughter, but he guessed it wasn't working. Kunzite raised his eyebrows at them both, but looked more resigned than upset. Nephrite grinned and shrugged.

"You missed the whole conversation," he said simply. "But I'm glad to see you. Setsuna and Galaxia sent back the first of the Senshi to be collected. Michiru's entertaining them with tea, Haruka's waiting for a chance to use her sword on at least one of them, and Mamoru is upstairs. If no one is killing each other in the living room, go check on him."

"Why, what happened?"

"Not much. Remember, it would be against the code of the army of Earth to stab a woman. Get Minako home okay?"

Kunzite opened his mouth, rethought asking any questions he was going to ask, and shook his head. "Obviously I got her home okay. I made sure she got into the house, but I think, at this moment, we're about as far from being in the line of fire as we're going to get. Which I hate."

Raising her head, Makoto directed a startled look his way. "Are you serious? I _prefer _to be as far from the line of fire as possible."

"Well, I prefer fighting to waiting for the hammer to fall," Kunzite said, running a hand over his weary face. "Minako was quiet, it's making her insane not being able to do her duty and protect her Princess. I wanted to stay with her, but..."

"Her parents would probably frown on you sleeping over," Makoto finished with a nod. "Oh, there are days I do enjoy living alone."

Nephrite rolled his eyes over to look down at her. "Why, am I supposed to be sleeping over?"

"_Iie,_ you dork! But I don't have to explain why I'm coming home so late, either, or why I'm walking in on the arm of an older man. Did you meet Mr. and Mrs. Aino?"

"I don't think this is the proper time for that," Kunzite said slowly. "We need to concentrate our energy on fighting the Abyss. After that I can concentrate on meeting Mr. and Mrs. Aino. Was Jadeite back yet?"

They shook their heads at him.

"Speaking of needing to concentrate...He needs to keep his hands of Rei for at least one night!"

"Actually," Makoto corrected him, "Rei was the one with the hands, from what she told us. Jadeite tried to be rational, but she started taking his clothes off, and he's only human, you know."

As Kunzite's eyes looked like they were about to start straight out of his skull, Nephrite decided it was time for them to be moving along.

"Look, just go back to the house. If Jadeite's there, send _him_ up to Mamoru, and you stay to help Michiru keep some semblance of planetary harmony."

"You..." Kunzite eyed him in concern. "You want to send Jadeite up to deal with a delicate emotional situation?"

"You know damn well he can come through in an emergency for a friend. Besides, do you want to throw him into a shaky political situation?"

"Blessed Helios, no. Remember the incident with the lord of the southlands and the lord of the northlands?" Kunzite asked.

Nephrite nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking. I'll be back in a bit, alright?"

Raising a hand in farewell, Kunzite turned and started back towards the house of the Outer Senshi.

"The lord of the southlands and the lord of the northlands?" Makoto asked quietly. "Who are they? And what did Jadeite do?"

"He nearly started a war after having a bit too much wine and telling the lord of the northlands that his second son looked suspiciously like the lord of the _south_lands." Nephrite paused for reflection. "It ended without a war, but the lady of the northlands wound up begging Endymion's father for protection when her husband realized that Jadeite was not wrong. After that, if Jadeite absolutely had to meet with dignitaries from _anywhere_ he was sworn to silence, or at the very least one or two words at a time. And no wine."

Makoto's bell-like laughter rang through the dark and silent Tokyo. A glance down into her face took Nephrite back through the ages, all the way to the Royal rose garden of Earth's Palace. A flutter of green silk had brought him around a hedge of roses, and there she stood, tall and graceful, her arms, face, and neck a rich gold against her emerald gown. She held her head high, and she had the face of a goddess.

Then she had tried to step forward. The hem of her cloak caught in the thorns. He remembered the way her green eyes flashed as she looked down, and he found that his goddess could swear like a soldier. He had laughed, and she looked up, and she smiled.

"So," he asked casually as her giggles finally subsided, "how old were you when these Three Lights were popular."

"We were sixteen," Makoto said with a reminiscent smile, "just a year ago. They were wildly popular. All the girls were in love with at least one of them. They even went to our school for awhile. Everywhere they went girls followed."

"Girls...like you?"

"A little," she admitted. "Minako was crazy about them, but more because she's always wanted to be famous. She tried to be their assistant, but it didn't go so well. Deep down, I think she's still used to being the Princess of Venus. Usagi was the only one who didn't care much, but you know why."

He nodded, looking casually about them at the darkened house. "They must be fairly talented musicians. Which one was your favorite?"

"Well, I guess...Nephrite!"

Eyes wide, he looked down at her innocently. "_Nani?_"

"Are you...are you jealous?"

"_Iie!_"

"Oh," Makoto said. They walked on in silence for a bit, then she tipped her head up, and those big green eyes were on his. "Do you really want to know which one was my favorite?"

"If you want to tell me."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She fell silent, and for a moment he thought she might be angry. But she cuddled closer to him, and looped her other arm across his stomach. However, she was no longer smiling, and Nephrite did not like that.

It took nearly fifteen minutes to reach her apartment. They finished the walk in silence, all the way up to the door of the apartment building. There she withdrew from his arms, and looked up into his face.

"This is me."

"_Hai._"

Makoto frowned a little, then rose up onto her toes and pressed a little kiss to his cheek.

"Mako-chan?" he asked as she dropped back down. "Which one _was _your favorite?"

She smiled and squeezed his arm.

"Goodnight, Nephrite."

She got all the way to the door before he seized her arm and spun her back around. He caught a glimpse of wide green eyes, and then his arm was around her waist, and his lips were on hers.

Immediately, he felt one hand catch in his hair, and the other grasped the back of his neck tightly and pulled him closer. They took two stumbling steps, and he felt the brick of the apartment building scrape the hand at the small of her back. The other rose to cup her face. He heard her gasp as he trailed kisses down her cheek and jaw, pushing her hair back so that his lips could trace her throat. Her head fell back and her nails cut into the skin of his neck. She raised one leg, bracing her foot against the wall possibly for balance, and the inside of her knee pressed against the outside of his thigh.

"Nephrite," she whispered against his ear. "Oh, sweet Jupiter!"

He took the lobe of her ear between his teeth, and traced around her little rose earring with his tongue. He felt her breath hot on his neck, felt her teeth scrape over his pulse, and she pulled him closer, and for a wild moment he hated the fabric of her blouse between them. His hand slid under her shirt and up her back, over skin warm and satiny, up her spine, and he could feel her heart pounding against his hand and his chest at the same time.

Thousands of years later, in a different lifetime, her flesh, her lips, and her breath still tasted the same.

She moaned quietly as his lips returned to hers, and though their hearts were pounding and their heads were swimming, he knew it was disappointment.

Reluctantly, he pulled away.

For a moment she lay her head back against the brick wall, her cheeks flushed and her bosom heaving, and she did not let go. Then she sighed, and opened her eyes.

"_Ano..._"

He smiled a little, and swiped a strand of hair from her eyes. "_Gomen._ I just...didn't want you to leave like that."

"Still breathing naturally?"

Nephrite laughed, and she did, too.

"You weren't happy, you didn't look like..."

"Like what?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind. It's stupid, and more than a little bit arrogant."

"Nephrite," she whispered, touching his cheek. "Tell me."

Mouth tight, he looked away. "You looked like you wouldn't miss me when I was gone."

From the corner of his eyes he saw Makoto lean her head back again and regard him through narrowed eyes. "Will you miss me when I go?"

"_Hai._"

She stood for a moment, her fingers playing with one long lock of his hair. Her whisper barely reached his ears, but it brought his eyes back to her.

"Nephrite, come inside with me."

"Makoto," he murmured, taking both her shoulders in his hands, "that isn't what I want, that isn't why I told you...It's alright, I'm sorry, go up to bed."

He would have stepped away, but she did not let him.

"I'm not asking you to...come up to _bed_ with me. It's not like Rei is contagious or something!" She bit her lip and looked uncertain, even a little unhappy. "I know I said sometimes I like living alone, but most days I really, _really_ don't like walking into an empty apartment."

"Oh, Helios," he sighed, closing his eyes and pulling her against his chest, "I want to say I can stay, Makoto. I do. I don't want you to have to go into that apartment alone."

"Please, Nephrite. Please, just...just until I fall asleep?"

He pulled back, and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Alright. I think Kunzite can handle it for a little while without me."

"What about Jadeite?"

"Kunzite can handle Jadeite, too."

"_Iie,_ I meant...Oh, come inside!"

He followed her into the apartment building and into the elevator. As they walked down the hall towards her apartment, Nephrite realized suddenly he had never been here before. It added a little awkwardness to their walk. For a moment, Makoto paused at her door, and looked at the next door down.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That's Mr. Senno's door," she said softly. "He...it was when Inanna first pushed free of the Abyss. The whispers found him. He...they took him to the hospital, but he didn't make it."

Nephrite put a hand on her back, and she took a deep breath and pushed her door open.

The apartment was bright, full of plants and happy colors. It made him smile just looking around it. Makoto kicked off her shoes and headed for what appeared to be her bathroom. Nephrite watched the door close, then moved over to a shelf and a line of pictures.

One or more of the Senshi smiled back at him from each picture. There were pictures of picnics, of birthdays and holidays, and what looked like an Inner and Outer Senshi pajama party. Makoto wore green flannel pants and a camisol of something soft and clinging. Two chestnut brown braids hung over her shoulders, she was holding the remnants of a cupcake in one hand, a soda can in the other, and she was laughing.

But search as hard as he could, he saw no pictures of anything other than the Senshi.

"Nephrite?"

He turned around, and she was standing in plaid boxers and a long sleeved shirt. She smiled shyly.

"Not exactly the sexy nightclothes you see in all the movies," Makoto admitted, shrugging, "but it's comfortable."

"You looks so beautiful."

Her breath drew in sharply, and he was surprised to see tears start to her eyes.

"What's wrong? What did I say?"

"I have spent seventeen years," she said, "hearing 'too tall' and 'too boyish' and all sorts of things, but never beautiful."

"Well, I know I've called you beautiful before."

"It doesn't count if it was in a past life," she told him with a giggle. "It's just...when I thought you might be jealous of what I thought of the Three Lights, I thought it was the first time someone was jealous for me. That's stupid."

Nephrite laughed, and collapsed in one corner of the small couch. Makoto came across the living room and sat beside him, but her face was hurt.

"That wasn't easy for me to say, Nephrite, and I don't think it's funny."

"Neither do I. What's funny is that while you wanted me to be jealous, and by the Golden Kingdom I _am_ jealous, I was pathetically trying to figure out which one of them you like better than me." He grinned weakly at her. "We are our own emotional train wreck, Mako-chan."

She slid into his lap, and lay her head down on his chest. He pulled her as close as he could, and rested his chin in that beautiful brown hair.

"You really want to know who my favorite is, Nephrite?" she whispered into his neck. "It's always been you, for thousands of years. Maybe that's why no one else was ever enough for me."

Nephrite kissed the top of her head, and ran his hand slowly up and down her back.

"You know, if I have to be in a train wreck, you're the only one I want to be stuck with."


	31. Chapter 31

_Disclaimer: Well, folks, I don't own 'em, unless you don't recognize the characters, which means they could be mine, or they could be some of those really obscure manga characters...hmm..._

_A/N: Ooh, I was bad last time, so I have to do _all _my thank yous, okay, here's to Girl Who Writes (anyone who Ami loves must be sweet and adorable, so that's how I picture Zoisite, and Haruka and Seiya...my favorite hate-ship from that whole show! but Mamoru has to be the voice of sanity, and, well, thank God the boys love their Prince, because he needs all the help he can get, I need a fanart of them all wearing those shirts) Bin82501 (glad I could make you giggle, and while Tuxedo Kamen in the anime is a little bit of a, well, nancy boy, in the manga he's fairly sexxy, and he's a friggin' Prince, all commanding like, I try to bring that in) Sin Katt (ahh, you're so sweet) Lysia Croft (yea! I'm starting to make sense, woot! the Shitennou are such a central part of this story it's hard to remember they just got back, as it were, and while Minako and Kunzite are in for some action, that can't be it for Ami/Zoi, and if ever anyone needed to feel feminine, it's Mako, 'cause she really is, deep down) Aphrodite's Kiss (Seiya's not too bad, but if I weren't a nice writer, Yaten would be gettin' slapped around a bit, Mako needs Neph in a way the others don't, and that kind of loneliness, who can't relate to that sometimes? I think that's why those two are so easy for me) Lalaitha Yamainu (um, no, Serenity's husband isn't from Earth, it's a little more complicated, which is where Saturn comes in) goldnheart (the end of Abyss was written with _all_ of this in mind, which makes it seem complicated, but that's only because it is, but I'm glad the voices of the Abyss have become characters instead of just baddies, and Michiru kicketh the ass, she's one of my favorite characters _ever,_ and Haruka is so very much whipped, but a pitbull, too) Sabrina (yeah, throwing more "male" characters in there is complicating, and Kunzite and Minako are sure as heck gonna have a scene, but in their own style, and I've heard too often that adolescent sex is "contagious" not to throw that in, and how dare you find my typo! oops) Artemis-chan of Redwing (having the characters tie things together is a good way to help the audience, either by showing them connections that didn't make sense or just confirming their suspicions, and they are a fairly bright group, it was bound to happen sometime, and Ami-Zoi...you've never had a sweetie comment on how good you smell? it seems to be a bit of an obsession with men, actually, and if Haruka could poke Seiya with a stick I think she would) Through Darkness (Haruka vs. Seiya...'Ruka wins!) Isis Aurora Tomoe (oh, must keep you riveted, or why would you come back? and Chibiusa and Hotaru have to wait they're turn, because things just got more complicated for Galaxia and Setsuna) Neptune's Violin (well, the Outer Senshi have already blown up one house, what worse could happen, right?) astra-kelly (you ever doubted I was a female, after the description of the ancient Pluto and Mars...that was fun to write...yeah, men have many uses, writing love scenes ain't one of 'em, and I didn't think until now, but Zoisite is fairly pretty...and sometimes mistaken for a woman...) mlkoolc86 (no Helios, I have way too many characters as it is, and he just really doesn't do a thing for me, and now that Mamo-chan knows Seiya is a girl, I think he just couldn't bring himself to do it, but Haruka's got his back on that one) Whew!_

The Tower of Tsifira stood in the center of the city of Hebron, capital of Geshur, a golden sentinel glowing like a shaft of sunlight against the late afternoon sky. It was made in the shape of a four-point star, wide at the base but gliding up to taper to a point that brushed the bottoms of the clouds. As they drew closer, they could see that the beautiful edifice was made of glass, or crystal, pure and clear, and overlaid with what looked like delicate gold lace. They paused in the shadow of a storefront, and gazed up in wonder.

"It's beautiful," Setsuna whispered. "I've never seen anything like it. What is that, the design on the glass?"

"Crystal," Galaxia corrected her. "It's made entirely of crystal, except that design you see. It's the metal supports, worked right into the crystal."

"Amazing. And it's so big!"

"I've seen bigger."

Setsuna glanced at her, and giggled. "You sound like Haruka. You can't tell me it doesn't just take your breath away. It has to be made from Sailor powers. There isn't a single flaw in the crystal!"

"I didn't know you were so interested in architecture," Galaxia murmured, her voice filled with warm amusement.

"I'm not, exactly, but I love beautiful things. I suppose that's silly to say. Everyone loves beautiful things."

"True. But not everyone appreciates beauty, even when it's right in front of them."

Setsuna tore her eyes away from the Tower, to find Galaxia gazing at her with a little smile. She smiled back and shook her head. "How could you not find this beautiful?"

"Oh, but I do."

A movement off to one side made the two women glance away from one another. A man had exited the store they stood in front of, and paused to stare at them with startled eyes. Setsuna smiled awkwardly, slipped her arm through Galaxia's, and hurried them down the street and around a corner.

"Even without our uniforms, we do _not_ blend in," Setsuna whispered. "We are the only people on this planet wearing blue jeans."

"On the positive side, other women on this world do wear pants," Galaxia assured her, looking around. "Of course, theirs are much looser than ours, but...your right, we don't blend in. We can't buy any clothing, either, because we have no Geshur money. I wonder if we could trade something."

"Trade what? Pudding cups? Or maybe my Garnet Rod?"

"We would probably get more clothing for the Garnet Rod. We've eaten most of the pudding cups, you know. Then again, these people have never had chocolate. It could be a powerful force, if used right."

"Will you please be serious?" Pluto hissed, trying not to smile. "Even if we had clothes like everyone else on Geshur, how in the Cosmos are we going to get close enough to find out who this man holding the Geshur Crystal is? Can we just walk into the Tower?"

"Well," Galaxia said slowly, "the last time I was here I just walked in, but honestly, if they had told me I couldn't, it wouldn't have slowed me down all that much. They did tell me not to go in, now that I think about it."

"I don't think we should use the 'I'm here to destroy your world' tactic, though, Galaxia."

"I agree. So what _are _we going to do?"

"Let's move closer to the Tower. Maybe they have a public entrance or something."

Sticking as much to the shadows as possible, the two incognito Sailor Senshi skirted around the people of Geshur as they moved ever closer to the Tower of Tsifira. Setsuna looked about her curiously. They were in a sort of market district, and though many of the shops appeared to be readying themselves to close, people still came in and out, and haggled with vendors on the street. The sweet smell of baked breads and cakes came from one door, followed by the scent of smoke and meat from the next shop. Flowers filled the cart of a man walking down the street, and sparkled with the water droplets he used to revive them at the end of the day. In one window, the Senshi paused to gaze in at gowns in a myriad of brilliant colors.

"This place seems quiet," Setsuna whispered, "peaceful. I haven't seen much sign of poverty. There aren't beggars, or orphans on the streets. Geshur doesn't seem to be living under the rule of an interloper."

"It looks nice," Galaxia agreed. "I would worry about a dictator, but I don't see any police or guards, either. I wonder if they didn't dispose of the usurper already. One would think it would be high on their priority list."

"Here, this way," Setsuna said. She turned down another street, Galaxia's arm still linked through her own and brushing against her waist. This street was quieter, and Setsuna guessed the tall buildings pressed close together were houses. Several children played in the quiet, empty street, three girls and two boys tossing a ball while singing a rhyme.

"Hadara was born of song and light," the three girls sang, bouncing the ball between them, "so gentle and true Geshur gave her all his might."

"Well, good for Hadara," Galaxia murmured from the corner of her mouth. "Where do children pick up these ridiculous songs?"

"Menassah was born from flesh and blood," the boys took over, claiming the ball, "but his courage and strength earned him all her love."

Setsuna smiled indulgently at the children as they walked past, and one of the girls smiled back. All five young voices rose together.

"But Menassah was mortal, and went to his grave, after a daughter and son to Hadara he gave.

"Then Chaos came raging, and fight Geshur must, following Talmai the Brave and Tsifira the Just."

Setsuna stopped so suddenly she caused Galaxia to stumble over her feet. She turned wide eyes back on the children, and though she saw the ball bouncing, and their mouths moving, she heard nothing but an echo in her head.

_Talmai._

"Setsuna? Are you alright?" She felt Galaxia's hand on her shoulder, felt herself shaken slightly. "Setsuna, you're frightening the children."

She blinked, and saw the children had stopped tossing the ball, and stared back at her in alarm, and some fear.

"I...I'm sorry," Setsuna whispered to the children. "You just...reminded me of something. Please, keep singing."

The children, however, merely edged a little away from her, and closer together, and studied the women's strange clothes with suspicious eyes.

"Alright, Setsuna, that's enough music for you," Galaxia announced cheerfully. She regained her link with Setsuna's arm, and towed her quickly down the street. The children did not pick up their song again as Galaxia leaned in closer. "What was that all about?"

"Talmai," Setsuna whispered. "_Talmai._ I know that name."

"From where?"

"I...I don't know. I think I heard it during the Silver Millennium. I wonder if it wasn't something from the archives...Talmai the Brave. He sounds like a hero from a story, doesn't he?"

Galaxia looked her way with raised brows, but only said, "Did you hear the other name? Tsifira. As in the Tower of Tsifira."

"It's not unusual to teach children history through songs and rhymes," Setsuna said. "The people of Earth do it all the time, and so did the people of the Silver Millennium. Of course, the Silver Millennium went on for so long that people forgot about the time before it began."

"Why is it called the Silver Millennium?" Galaxia asked. "It went on for more than a thousand years, right?"

"It wasn't the name of the age, it was the name of the kingdom."

"That makes even less sense."

Before Setsuna found herself forced to defend the name of her home, they left the street lined with houses, and came to the edge of a great expanse of green grass. Several hundred feet away lay a wall, ten feet high Setsuna guessed, and made of the same gold lacework as in the tower. Through the delicate lines, they could spy people moving around, and several stopped to look up to the point of the tower.

"I think it's a public day," Setsuna whispered in Galaxia's ear. "I suppose the worst that could happen is we're arrested, and then we'll just have to explain ourselves to a judge, or someone like that, which will probably get the attention of the people we need."

"No, Setsuna, the worst that could happen is we are executed as tresspassers, or enemy spies."

"I doubt they will recognize you, Galaxia. With your hair down and no uniform, you don't look a thing like Sailor Galaxia."

"True, but they might make a shrewd guess if you don't stop _saying my name!_"

"Ah. _Gomen._ Let's just...try the front gate, and be very quiet."

With the sun sinking in the east, and giving Setsuna a dizzy, turned around feeling, most people seemed to be leaving the Tower, rather than entering. The gate stood invitingly open. On either side, a thin, tall guardhouse rose above their heads, cylindrical, but with a point on top, and made of the same glittering crystal and delicate gold work as the Tower.

A guard leaned out of a window high up on either building, and the two men chatted amiably over the heads of the people coming and going.

Setsuna glanced up at them, then over at Galaxia. The other woman considered with a comical little grimace, and finally nodded. Together they looked up.

"Excuse me," Setsuna called up to the two men. "Excuse me! Hello, can you help us, please?"

Both men looked down, startled. They looked up to each other, smiled and nodded, then returned their gazes downward.

"Hello, there, m'ladies," the guard on their left called back. "What can we do for you this evening?"

"We were wondering for how long we can be in the Tower," Galaxia explained. "Does it close at any point?"

Another glance was exchanged, this one startled.

"This is, uh, our first visit to the Tower," Setsuna added with a bright smile.

"Your first time?" the guard on their right asked. "But you're so old!"

Both Senshi's eyebrows rose, and each bit her lip at the same time.

"Not old!" the other guard shouted. "No, no, he meant...well, most people make their first trip when they are children, you see! But of course not everyone can...but, m'ladies, this is the Tower of Tsifira. It is the Tower of all the people of Geshur. It _never_ closes."

Setsuna felt Galaxia's eyes slide to her face in a mute question. She froze for a moment, then turned to the other woman, and shook her head.

"I _told_ you he was just teasing you about them closing the Tower at night, but you never listen to me!"

"I...well, I...he seemed so honest!" Galaxia responded at random. "You're right. From now on, I just won't speak to him."

"I've told you and told you," Setsuna continued as they passed through the gates and began towards the Tower, "you need to stay away from him. He's bad news-Oh, sweet Chronos, Galaxia, I thought we _were_ going to be arrested."

Galaxia let out a slow breath and lengthened her steps. A glance over their shoulders showed the guards conversing with one another again. Then one ducked inside, while the other looked out over the city.

"Just stay casual," Galaxia whispered as they mounted the broad, shallow steps leading to the entrance. "We aren't going to be arrested. We just look a little different, and dress a little different, and we don't know anything about Geshur history or custom, and maybe we should walk a little faster."

"If we walk any faster, we'll have to call it running," Setsuna muttered from the corner of her mouth. "And that _will_ look suspicious. Just...just get through the door."

Though wearing comfortable sports shoes, Galaxia's borrowed from Haruka, their footsteps still echoed as they crossed the wide veranda of the Tower, heading for the open entrance. Still tensed and awaiting a possible attack, Setsuna barely noticed the beautiful white, gold-veined marble under their feet, or the pillars of crystal flying high into the air. A glance up showed these supported a gold-worked awning, arching nearly three stories over their heads. White flowers, rather like Earth's morning glories, and slender green leaves laced through the filigree and waved invitingly at the guests passing through.

"That's amazing," she noted to Galaxia. "The flowers and the gold...you'd never guess that the awning can easily be fired through by guards, in case of an attack."

"Yes," the other woman said in a hollow voice, "that's what it's for."

Setsuna looked her way, but Galaxia's face was blank.

To her surprise, there were no massive double doors to the Tower, as there had been at Kinmoku Palace, and the Moon Palace. In fact, there were no doors at all. The entrance stood wide open without hindrance, and without the ability to close.

_"The Tower of all the people of Geshur"... So not only do they never close it, they _cannot_ close it. Interesting._

The walls of the interior were warm, honey colored wood panels, each about twelve feet wide, and joined seemlessly together until they nearly reached the ceiling. There they curved up to join the marble of the ceiling, coming to points like Gothic windows, while the marble dripped down between them. Placed tastefully along these walls were frames of artwork. The few paintings Setsuna could see were of soft colors and serene.

"The people of Geshur must value peace," she said as they turned left, and began down the empty hallway. "Everything they do seems quiet. These paintings-sh!"

Setsuna ducked around the next corner, pulling Galaxia with her. The other Senshi gave a little gasp as they flattened against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, Setsuna's arm across her stomach and pinning her gently to the wall. Setsuna glanced at the corner, listening, and let out a sigh.

"What are we hiding from?" Galaxia asked uncertainly.

"I saw one of the guards," Setsuna said, turning her head. Galaxia's face was close enough that she had barely to whisper to be heard. "I...I panicked. I just thought..."

"You thought we were about to be arrested?" Galaxia murmured. "Or chased around someone else's Palace again?"

Setsuna shook her head. "_Iie,_ I just have this fear that here, where no one knows even me, they aren't going to listen to us. We can teleport out of here, but a fight amongst the Senshi at this time is the last thing we need!"

"So," Galaxia said slowly, "because you are afraid that they won't trust us, we're skulking around their Tower, and hiding around corners?"

Slowly, Setsuna felt her lips turning up at the corners. Those red-gold eyes shone back into hers, and her shoulders began to shake. Both women clamped their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter, leaning against one another.

"Oh!" Setsuna managed to gasp through her fingers. "Oh, I can handle a fight or a war, but sneaking, and politics between systems...I never thought _not_ being attacked could be so stressful! I think I'm cracking up a bit!"

"There's nothing strange about diving for cover everytime you see someone," Galaxia assured her. Her words were a little less convincing as they trembled with mirth. "Nothing strange about the beautiful, dignified Sailor Pluto flattened against a wall like some thief! A really, really bad thief, who thinks a corner, attached to another long empty hallway, is a hiding place!"

"Shut up," Setsuna hissed as tears started to her eyes. "What about you?!? Oh Golden Queen of Shadow Galactica, in your sneakers and jeans! _So_ dignified. And you are the _worst_ actress! 'He seemed so honest!'"

"I blanked!" Galaxia groaned. "I didn't expect you to just suddenly jump out with that!"

"Well, you wanted me to do _something!_ What _did_ you expect me to do, nail him with a Dead Scream attack in the forehead or something?"

"I don't know!" she hissed, beginning to change colors as she tried to stop the giggles still escaping. "I guess I'm just getting a little slow in my old age."

Setsuna caught Galaxia's eye, and they both burst out into another gale of laughter, which they immediately attempted to silence. Setsuna leaned her head back against the wall, biting her lip desperately, while Galaxia buried her face in her shoulder.

"I almost lost it right there!" Setsuna whispered through her teeth. She raised one hand to swipe quickly at the tear rolling down her cheek. "The _look_ on your face! I knew exactly what you were thinking, too! 'Oh, young man, you have no idea!'"

Mutely, Galaxia nodded into her shoulder.

Swallowing hard, the beautiful, dignified Sailor Pluto pressed her hand against her abdomen, which was starting to ache. "We have to stop! _Stop,_ Galaxia! The fate of the galaxy is hanging in the balance!"

"I can't!" the ancient Soldier wailed into her shirt.

"You have to! Bite your lip or something! But if you bite my shoulder I'm going to kick you!"

Galaxia seized her arm and shook her with every word. "You! Are! Not! _Helping!_"

"I know!" Setsuna moaned, still chuckling. "I'm sorry! This...this isn't like me! There is a duty here! We have to focus on our duty! That usually works!"

"Right. Right, we, uh, we have a mission," Galaxia said shakily. She took several deep breaths, then raised her head enough to perch her chin on Setsuna's shoulder. Her grin faded into a softer smile. "Look at you, Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time...giggling like a little girl."

"Like a _real_ girl," Setsuna corrected her ruefully, watching her from the corner of her eye. "Not a Soldier, not a Guardian, just a girl."

Galaxia tilted her head, rather like a shrug. "All Sailor Senshi are just girls underneath, Setsuna. Maybe that's why planets only ever choose girls. Because of what we can do, as...as women. What we can create. And maybe that's not such a bad thing. Because if we're all just girls, just _women,_ maybe we can understand each other so much more."

"That's why there are no men amongst the Senshi?" Setsuna mused, and offered a little smirk. "I don't know."

"Tell me a man who understands what it is to be a Sailor Senshi," Galaxia whispered back. "Your Prince is one in a million, or possibly a billion. His friends understand the younger girls not as Senshi, but as other Guardians. But Haruka...Michiru....little Hotaru?"

Setsuna snorted and glanced away. "Haruka and Michiru don't _need_ a man to understand them. And Hotaru's...she's the Sailor Senshi of Death and Rebirth. Sometimes it's hard for even us to understand her, really."

"And what about you? The Guardian of Time, who has no time for love. Who isn't afraid of a woman who is ancient, and powerful, and so beautiful as to be more goddess than human? Who understands what it is to have a duty that comes before family, and before any lover?"

It was no longer hard to keep the laughter at bay, but Setsuna did not feel the usual sinking of her spirits as Galaxia whispered in her ear all the fears she had felt over the millennia...all the questions that made it so very easy to not fall in love, or act on any feelings of tenderness, because they were also truths. Except for one thing: Setsuna knew herself to be ancient, and powerful, but never before had someone likened her face to that of a goddess. Her cheeks were warm, flushed. She could feel Galaxia's breath twine through the hair tucked behind her ear, and whisper across her throat, like tentative fingers of an adolescent knowing the first heady excitement and uncertainty of desire.

"I...I don't know," Setsuna breathed. She forced a smile, and tried to catch breath that had sped up without her permission. She tried to will the laughter and mockery back into her voice. "Well, I have you."

Scarlet eyes moved to lock with scarlet eyes. Galaxia did not blink, and she did not back down, and the strength and fire in that gaze made Setsuna suddenly feel weak, and almost young, even girlish. Then the most powerful of Senshi smiled a little, tight smile.

"Yes. And I want...I want you to have everything you ever wanted, Setsuna. What is it you _do _want? Do you even know?"

"I guess I want what everyone wants," Setsuna murmured, and she dropped her gaze first. "I want...someone to hold me when I'm afraid, and someone to turn to me when they are afraid, and only to me. I want someone to wait for me, but never give me reason to fear when I'm away. I want someone to laugh with me, and cry with me, and fight at my side, and not hate me when my duty pulls me away. I want...someone to understand me."

She felt Galaxia's eyes on her face, and felt each and every distinct heartbeat as the other woman considered all she had said. Then she spoke, her voice soft and afraid as Setsuna felt.

"You said you wanted _someone_, Setsuna. What...kind of someone?"

Setsuna felt tears start to her eyes, and her lips twitch, and a tiny, hysterical laugh bubble up in her chest, and threaten to explode out. Still, she could not look at Galaxia.

"I...I..."

"What are you doing?"

The warmth of Galaxia's body disappeared from her side, and Setsuna jerked her head up to the strange voice as well. She was given no time to blink away all her emotions, and for a moment she felt naked under the sharp, penetrating eyes of the newcomer. Centuries beyond count came to her rescue, and the icy walls of the Guardian of Time returned hard and fast to secure her secrets.

The young woman stood at the corner, glancing around with a somewhat quizzical expression. Pale eyebrows rose at them, and it took a second glance to see they were not blonde, but lavender, to match the hair pulled back in a bun on her head, and pinned up with two sticks of something white and shining. Long bangs fell on either side of a lovely, adorable face, her eyes playful, her nose little and upturned. Setsuna noted that while her chin came to a delicate point, there was strength in the lines, and in the tiny rosebud of a mouth. The woman was barely taller than Hotaru, and she wore clothes similar to the other women of Geshur, flowing dark amethyst pants and a white, long sleeved shirt, laced with silver cord at the throat and the wrists. The body underneath, though slender and elegant as a dancer, had tiny hips, and merely the impression of curves. In her eyes, so dark Setsuna could not be sure if the color was purple, blue, brown, or black, there was a wisdom completely at odds with her childlike figure.

"Oh!" Galaxia said, straightening in surprise. "We, uh, we were just visiting the Tower. I know it's late-"

"You aren't the latest visitors we've ever had," the other woman assured her. Her smile brought dimples to her cheeks. "I don't mean to pry. I was just a little surprised to find you two all alone...like this."

"Like what?" Setsuna asked, her voice friendly, but aloof.

Those dark eyes slid over her face, then moved to Galaxia's. She was still as she contemplated the tall, beautiful women before her, but her smile never dimmed.

"Leaning against the wall as if you were tired," she said simply. "There are benches in the Tower garden, and if you like, I could find something for you to drink. The vendors in the garden have closed for the night, of course."

Galaxia nodded. "Of course. Everyone has to go home sometime, even if the Tower itself is always open."

"Exactly. But I'm so sorry! Where are my manners? I'm Anyuta."

"I'm Setsuna, and this is...Hoshi. Are we not supposed to be here?"

If Anyuta had caught her tiny hesitation, she made absolutely no sign. She merely shook her head and gestured around her. "Not at all. I work here in the Tower, you know. Do you have any questions? The pictures, maybe?"

For the first time, Setsuna looked around her at the artwork on these walls. They were different from those in the first hall, and looked much older. Several appeared to be prints, and she guessed that the originals were probably too old and valuable to be displayed. They would be kept somewhere dark and temperature controlled.

"This one," Galaxia said, and she pointed to the frame directly across from them. "What exactly is this? It barely looks like anything at all."

Anyuta crossed the hall to study the piece there, and Setsuna followed her. A question glanced to Galaxia brought a little grimace and a tiny shrug of helplessness, which plainly said she had acted quickly, and without much forethought. Sighing, Setsuna turned her attention to the artwork and pretended to listen.

"Oh, yes. This is the central piece of the tapestry woven by Hadara herself," Anyuta said helpfully. "Unfortunately, the Wars came, and while much of the treasures were saved, during the fall of the original Tower of Tsifira _this_ piece was badly damaged. We could never dispose of it, of course, so it remains in the Tower archives, and this print is very lifelike."

A twinge of sympathy caught at Setsuna's heart. Though nothing more than shattered marble and broken collumns remained, those few remnants of the Silver Millennium, the only proof that she had not dreamt the entire age, were so very dear to her, and to all the Senshi. She focused now on the print with real interest. So very little remained of this precious tapestry, just a small circle, the edges badly burned and tattered. She frowned and squinted at the colored threads woven together. There was white, and threads of what she guessed were real gold and silver. The flowing lines twisted and turned around one another, as though caught in the breath of something. As Setsuna followed those lines with her eyes, she could have sworn they moved, that something flickered. Yet when she blinked, there was nothing but thread, and a design damaged beyond recognition.

"It looks like...a flower?" Galaxia said slowly. "No, not a flower. But something alive."

"There have been books and essays and poems and songs and debates over the centuries about what that image could possibly be," Anyuta said, and for the first time her voice was not cheery, but soft, and almost affectionate. "There are a thousand different schools of thought, and a million theories, and I actually saw two Professors from Lejah University get into a hair pulling contest over the answer. Which was impressive, as one was bald."

Slightly distracted, Setsuna pulled her eyes from the tapestry to the smaller woman. "If he was bald, how could he have his hair pulled?"

"Let us just end this story with, while his opponent was arrested for the attack, he himself was arrested for...improper exposure."

"Oh," Galaxia murmured. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she added, "Oh!"

"Mm, well, that's Lejah for you," Anyuta said with a shrug. Her smile had returned, and she turned it on them with glowing eyes. "You've never actually seen the mysterious tapestry before? When was the last time you came to the Tower?"

"This is our first visit," Setsuna said truthfully, and was relieved that, unlike the guards, Anyuta did not appear surprised. "I wish we had been here earlier in the day. I would have liked to have seen more people, and more about the affairs of state, here on Geshur. If we came back tomorrow, where would we look?"

"Well, there is the Council Chamber, of course, and the offices of the Council, which are not technically open to just anyone, but they usually leave their doors open so that people can speak to them of state concerns. Otherwise, the Talmai Library will be open in the morning. If you'd like to see the Prince, he'll be taking audiences in the afternoon, like always, in his Receiving Rooms."

"The Receiving Rooms," Setsuna repeated, nodding slightly to herself. "What time in the afternoon does the Prince take audiences?"

"Just after lunch. Do you want me to show you the way to the Receiving Rooms, so you don't get lost tomorrow?"

"That would be helpful," Setsuna said with a grateful smile. "You're very kind, Anyuta."

"Oh, not at all. I serve the Tower of Tsifira, and Prince Absalom. That means I serve all the people of the Kingdom of Geshur. I am willing to do everything in my power to fulfill my duty. This way, Setsuna, and...Hoshi, was it?"

"Hoshi," Galaxia repeated with a nod. Anyuta took the lead, and the two Senshi fell back a few paces as Galaxia leaned in to whisper in Setsuna's ear, "Hoshi?"  
It surprised Setsuna that her heartbeat jumped. She was suddenly a thousand times more aware of Galaxia's heat and presence beside her, and even more alarming, she could feel her own body, her breathing and heart and skin, reacting to that awareness with something close to a yearning. She pushed it away as best she could, and whispered back.

"It means 'star'. I thought it would work, and as you said, I can't use your name. What do you think? An audience with this Prince tomorrow?"

"It's our best chance," Galaxia agreed softly. "Though where we're going to sleep tonight has me concerned. Maybe this Anyuta will help us. She seems rather eager to please."

"She's a very sweet girl. She reminds me a bit of Usagi."

"What was that, Setsuna?" Anyuta asked over her shoulder. "Did you say something?"

"Just something to Hoshi. It isn't important."

Anyuta continued to lead them through more corridors of golden hallways dotted with artworks. Setsuna looked at the different frames, but though she knew she saw the treasures of Geshur's history, none of them registered with her. She could do little more than follow the sound of Anyuta's footsteps and the feel of Galaxia's warmth through the Tower of Tsifira.

"Here we are!" Anyuta announced, gesturing to a tall door of the same wood, but with a sort of crest worked into the top; a twelve point star, surrounded by five circles. In the center of each circle was a symbol, rather like the planet symbols of Setsuna and her sister Senshi. "Would you like to take a peek inside?"

Setsuna felt her eyebrows rise slightly. "Is that...allowed? Without the Prince, or maybe a guard?"

"I am absolutely authorized to allow anyone I deem worthy to enter this room," Anyuta assured them. "Please, come inside. I think you will find it interesting."

She opened the door, and bore them relentlessly inside with her friendly smile, Galaxia just before Setsuna. When her partner came to a sudden stop, Setsuna found herself pressed chest to back with her. She looked over the other woman's shoulder, and blinked in surprise.

"_Ano..._I don't understand. Anyuta?"

Six people were already in this room, and they all looked as startled as Setsuna felt. She quickly processed the presence of four young women, three of whom wore the same garments as Anyuta, though their pants ranged from bronze to burgundy to cerulean blue. The fourth woman wore a black dress, the collar laced with wine colored ribbon to just under her chin, and the skirt falling to her ankles. The women in pants occupied three of four different chairs, each placed in a corner of the room. The other, the one in black, sat at a table with the last two people. One was a little girl, perhaps six or seven, clad in deep green, and she was perched in the lap of the man.

For a moment, Setsuna was allowed a glimpse of a handsome face, a strong chin that offset the delicacy of high cheek bones set under golden flesh, and a broad, almost catlike nose. Black hair, dark as the space between the stars and as fine as silk strands, fell unbound around his face. Yet it was the sight of clear, tilted, deep gray eyes still holding a glimmer of simple joy, and firm lips slightly curved on the echo of a laugh, that, for a split second, stopped her breath.

Then she heard a click behind her, and turned quickly to look at the woman standing with her back to the door, and her smile still firmly on her lips. Those dark eyes did not shine merrily anymore, but sparked with something vicious and angry. Galaxia moved closer, and Setsuna felt their hearts hammering against each other.

"What is this, Anyuta?" the man asked quickly. "Who are these women? Why have you brought them here?"

Anyuta tsked softly with her tongue, and shook her head. "Even if the guards at the gate had not warned me, I would have known you were not what you say you are. You see, there are no vendors in the garden, the library of Talmai is not in the Tower at all but it's own building on the planet of Lejah and part of the University, the Receiving Rooms are directly attached to the Council Chambers, the Council members do not keep offices in the Tower, the Prince does his audiences in the morning, there is _no one_ within the Kingdom of Geshur that does not know the image of Hadara's tapestry, and the original Tower was the Tower of Hadara, and not Tsifira. Also, any true citizen of the Kingdom of Geshur would know the name Anyuta."

The sound of movement behind them made Galaxia's pulse jump against Setsuna's back, and without looking, she knew that the women dressed like Anyuta, the other Sailor Senshi of the Kingdom of Geshur, had just risen to their feet.

"I am Sailor Ephraim," Anyuta confirmed with a tiny inclination of her head. "I am the head of the Sailor Senshi for Geshur, and these are my comrades, Sailor Lejah, Sailor Aram, and Sailor Trachonitis. It surprises me, _Hoshi,_ that you did not recognize me. Then again, after the slaughter of so very many of your sister Senshi, why should I have stood out?"

"This is...not good," Setsuna breathed. She would have retreated under the fire in Anyuta's wrathful gaze, but it would only put her further within reach of the other enraged Senshi.

"Anyuta?" the man, the Prince, asked again. "Anyuta, tell me what is happening, right now! Lirita, I want you to take Tamar out of here."

"Take her to her room," Anyuta seconded, though she never took her eyes from Setsuna and Galaxia. "Don't be afraid. I see no reason why they should be allowed to leave this room."

"Ephraim," the Prince hissed warningly.

"No! No, Absalom, I want you to stay with me!" the child cried. "Absalom! Stay with me!"

"No, Tamar, go with Lirita. I will come to you soon."

Anyuta touched the sticks in her hair and looked them over, considering.

"Sailor Ephraim," Galaxia whispered, reaching out one hand around Setsuna, "please hear us out. We are not here to cause you any hurt. We are here to _help_ you!"

"Very well, Galaxia. You have exactly thirty seconds to tell me why I shouldn't slit your throat right now."


	32. Chapter 32

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon in any of its various and assundry forms..._

_A/N: Sleepy, and have a headache. Will do thank yous with the next chapter. But to everyone who was surprised by the Galaxia/Setsuna pairing, it was not my original plan, as you'll see, but the second Galaxia stepped onto the scene, it just _screamed_ to be done. I'm thrilled everyone is on board with me!_

Setsuna looked over her shoulder, and met eyes wide with horror. Galaxia's mouth opened, but no sound came out. She seemed incapable of speaking to these people, the ones she had hurt so very much. Mutely, she shook her head.

"I thought not," Anyuta whispered. "Trachonitis, Lejah, Aram-"

"The Galaxy is in danger of falling to another round of the Sailor Wars if you do not hear us out."

Those dark eyes flew to Setsuna's face, harsh and alive with malice. Anyuta's fingers clenched on the sticks in her hair, and that she could have killed Galaxia at that moment, and her companion for good measure, Setsuna did not doubt. But she was, ultimately, a Sailor Senshi, and the threat of the Sailor Wars returning in their lifetime hit home as it could for no other.

"Wait, Ephraim," the Prince said sharply. "We will hear them out. Turn around, both of you. If you wish to address Geshur, you will address me. Now!"

Setsuna fell back a step to stand beside Galaxia, and together they turned to face the other holders of the Geshur Kingdom's Sailor Crystals.

Three women.

All three were taller than Anyuta, but only the one in blue could look Setsuna and Galaxia in the eye. Hair the color of white gold, gray eyes, and ivory skin made her seem little more than a ghost. Her hair fell loose to her waist, though tiny braids appeared to be randomly scattered throughout, and shimmered with irridescent lights. Only her eyes moved as Setsuna spoke. She had the face of a storybook princess, a perfect oval, a soft mouth like two flower petals, a straight nose and gently sculpted chin, but no expression. Like the Prince, her eyes tilted exotically upward at the outer corners. What could be seen of her body through her flowing clothes was slender, her hands as long fingered and graceful as Michiru's, and hanging loosely at her sides. With her flawless face, she could have been thirteen or thirty.

To her right, a young woman half a head shorter than the pale ghost stirred restlessly, and ran her fingers through short, wavy red-gold hair. Her bronze pants fluttered as she shifted her lean, compact body a little closer to the enemies, and her hand twitched towards a tiny slit in the fabric. A pocket, Setsuna guessed, holding some weapon, or perhaps the item needed to call forth Sailor powers. Bright green eyes lanced across them, jumping between their faces, scanning their bodies for any sign of attack or flight. Yet Setsuna liked her face, the corners of her wide mouth betraying a tendency to smile, her little snub nose and round eyes giving her an unassuming, cheerful contenance. Under any other circumstance, she might have rejoiced at meeting new Senshi. She had rolled her sleeves to her elbows and tied them there, showing strong forearms and hands calloused from work or training. Something dark, oil or paint, streaked across the back of one hand.

The third stood on the far side of the room, slightly behind her fellow Senshi, and her arms folded tightly under the most impressive bosom Setsuna had ever seen, surpassing even Makoto's much discussed chest. Once she managed to tear her gaze from that startling neckline, she found herself confronting a pair of soft, grave eyes the color of birch-bark, a sort of silvery-brown. A deep red, full mouth that she could only describe as pouting was pursed uncertainly, and a little wrinkle sat over her aquiline nose. She wore the burgundy uniform, her figure making sensuous curves underneath. A low ponytail had been thrown over her shoulder, displaying hair of such a dark red it almost looked black. For a moment this Senshi looked past them to Anyuta, and opened her mouth as though to speak. She thought better of it and remained silent, though she met Setsuna's eyes and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

One man.

He stood in the center of the room, in front of the table he had occupied only moments before. Like the women, his pants and shirt were loose and comfortable. His shirt was cut much further down his chest than his Senshi's, and in the company of friends he had loosened the lacings, so that Setsuna could glimpse well formed pectorals. Unlike the three women, all of whom had lacings of silver ribbon, his were gold. He, too, had rolled his sleeves back, thus confirming the suspicion that his whole body was muscular. His hands were balled at his sides, his knuckles white against his tanned skin and green pants.

Around his neck lay a heavy chain, and hanging from this was a smooth, deep green jewel.

In her very soul, Setsuna could feel a sort of resonating, and knew it was the Geshur Crystal.

"You," the Prince snapped, his face fixed in a cold rage as he jerked his chin at Setsuna. "You who would dare enter this Tower in the company of that..._creature._ Who do you think you are?"

Centuries of dignity and the pride of a Sailor Senshi of the Silver Millennium drew Setsuna up straight, pulled back her shoulders, and raised her chin. "I am Meiou Setsuna, Sailor Pluto."

He took several steps closer, and though he was taller, and much broader, than she, and though she had to crane her head back to look up at him, Setsuna did not retreat an inch. Those gray eyes raked over her face like blades of black ice, and his mouth pulled up into a sneer.

"_Sailor_ Pluto," he nearly spat into her face. "You dare claim the title of the Senshi, but you serve a snake that slithers in the filth of all that the Senshi fight against. You are no better than the Animamates."

Only when his head snapped to the side and she felt the burning in her own palm did Setsuna realize she had slapped him. He fell back a step, his eyes wide in shock, his hand going to the red mark on his cheek. She would have advanced on him, and possibly have dealt him a more substantial blow to something more precious to his manhood, but Galaxia caught her by the elbow and held her back.

From behind her, she heard Anyuta draw in a sharp breath, but she did not care about any imminent attack as she flung her own words at him.

"I am Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Gates of Time, loyal protector of my Princess and my Kingdom, a true Sailor Senshi," she hissed. "I have fought darkness in forms that you dare not even dream of, little boy, and I _will not_ be called a traitor by the likes of _you!_ Question my duty to my Princess again and I will give you ample reason to believe in my _abilities!_"

"_Setsuna!_" Galaxia gasped, shaking her by the arm. "Calm yourself! You...you just _struck_ the Prince of Geshur, in his own _Tower_, surrounded by his own _Senshi!_ Have you lost your _mind?!?_"

A loud bark of laughter brought every eye to the young woman in bronze. She made no move to hide her amusement, and gave no indication of any desire to retaliate against Setsuna. Neither did any of her comrades. Instead she shook her head scornfully at her Prince.

"You could have said anything else, Absalom. Anything else. Call her anything, and we would have made her stand there and take it."

"But to liken a true Sailor Senshi to an Animamate?" the other in burgundy took over in a deep, husky voice. "Blessed Sheiramoth, Absalom, why didn't you just tell her her mother sold sordid tricks on the lowest street corners, and her father was also her uncle?"

"Then spit in her face for good measure," the first Senshi finished in a disgusted tone. "Damn it, Ab, have some decency."

Prince Absalom glared at his dissenting Senshi, then turned his eyes to the pale woman in blue. Her eyes slid to his, and very slightly, she nodded her head. His eyes dropped, and there flickered a little smile. It disappeared almost immediately.

"Aram, Trachonitis," Anyuta said behind them, her voice completely devoid of emotion, "it is not proper to scold the Prince in front of foreigners. Sailor Pluto...Galaxia...you just gained yourselves five more minutes to tell your tale."

She heard Galaxia let out a slow breath, and felt her squeeze her arm softly before letting go, and she had to fight with herself to control her own breathing. Absalom's insults echoed around in her head, and stirred a fire in her chest that not even the false hatred crafted by the Abyss could match. After centuries, after _ages untold,_ of loyalty, of endless loneliness, merely watching everything from her silent Charon Castle as the Silver Millennium laughed and played and brought forth life and went peacefully to their slumber...

"...the Abyss's thirst cannot be slaked," Galaxia was saying, her voice desperate as she tried to make a crack in Geshur's icy hatred, to allow them to see what was coming for them _now,_ and not what had happened before. "It will not be content with one planet, or one star, or one solar system. It will devour _everything._ As Sailor Senshi, we have a duty..."

Setsuna looked over the faces of the Senshi, Aram, Lejah, and Trachonitis, and then looked to their Prince. The Senshi were wavering. They knew what it was to have their hearts beating in time to the very life force of a planet. Their souls were entwined with their worlds in a way that most lovers could never even dream to feel. To speak of the destruction of a planet to them was beyond murder...it was bordering on blasphemy, on obscenity, on a sin that should never be named.

Yet Absalom wore Geshur like a stone around his neck, instead of burning within him. These things, the destruction of planets and stars, they were too vast to comprehend. Planets were so very large, and so many stars twinkled in the sky, with so _much_ space between them, that this wave of destruction Galaxia spoke of was not _real_. It seemed more like some monster in a half-forgotten scary story told to him as a child.

"I have a daughter."

Galaxia's voice froze in the middle of a word. Setsuna could feel her eyes on her face, and even, through her sudden super awareness of this other women, could hear her surprise, in the way her breath caught. The three Senshi and the Prince before her appeared even more stunned at this sudden announcement, and confused as well. Setsuna moved her right hand until it found Galaxia's left. She pressed those long, strong fingers once in reassurance, but kept her eyes on Absalom.

"There was a child here before," Setsuna said softly. "I don't know who she was. But _you,_ Absalom, were holding her. She is yours, maybe a sister, maybe a cousin, perhaps even a daughter."

Absalom moved to speak, but she lifted her free hand to stop him.

"My daughter is fourteen. Her name is Hotaru. She is a little smaller than Anyuta, and her hair is black, and very soft. Her eyes are dark violet. They are so beautiful, still young, still trusting, but dark and deep with all the possibilities of the future. She looks at you...she looks at _me,_ and she can see straight into my soul. It's strange, but even though I can't hide anything from her, she believes in me. She believes I am good, and I am strong, and I am wise. If I were half the woman my daughter believes me to be, I would be a woman a thousand times better than I truly am.

"I held her, as a baby, and everything I felt as a Sailor Senshi, the need to protect and fight the darkness and...and keep the stars singing and the planets dancing, it all suddenly made _sense._ We do so much without asking _why._ It isn't a Sailor Senshi's place to ask _why_. We know, deep down, we know _why._ But the first time I held Hotaru, and that baby reached out, and her tiny, perfect little fingers wrapped around just one of mine, I could give _why_ a name.

"Hotaru has lived a life that I would never wish on anyone. The life of a Sailor Senshi. She knows what it is to have the power of a planet, to feel all that life inside of you for just a second as you transform, or as you call on your planet to aid you in an attack. It is a feeling that cannot be described, a feeling that no one but _we_ will ever know. _Rapture_ does not even begin to cover it. But we are given those powers for a reason, and we use them to protect, to put our lives ahead of every other life...and we use them to destroy.

"My daughter, my _child,_ knows destruction and death intimately. She has seen an entire empire burned to tears and ashes, and her _duty_ was to carry on that destruction, to complete it, to till that empire into the ground, so that someone else could sew in the seeds of rebirth. That is what _my baby_ has known.

"And as all the stars and planets may stand as my witness, I will do _everything_ in my power so that she will _never_ have to do her _duty_ again! I will throw my life between the darkness and my little girl if I can give her just a few more days as not a Sailor Senshi, but a child. And if my Hotaru can live a life where she can create and not destroy, where she will be allowed to protect what she loves and not raze it to the ground, where perhaps her smiles will outnumber her tears, than I will throw my soul into the Abyss, let it rip me into a million pieces, and never stop smiling.

"Because she is my daughter."

There was silence, so deep that the whole room might have stopped and held its breath. Perhaps no hearts beat at that moment, so wrung with Setsuna's last, simple statement. But at last she saw dawning comprehension in Absalom's eyes, and very slowly, she nodded.

"This thing, this Abyss of evil that we are speaking of, it will destroy everything. That includes this planet. That includes everyone in this room. And it includes the little girl you held in your lap less than ten minutes ago, the little girl who reached for you when she was afraid, and begged you to stay with her. It will take her, and it will devour her smile, her laughter, her voice, and it will even steal all those memories from you. This thing does not know love, and therefore it _must_ destroy it wherever it is found. So if you _love_ that little girl, it will only make her even more delicious to this evil. This is our chance to act first, to protect that little girl, and my little girl, before the Abyss takes them away forever."

His hand closed over the heavy green stone around his neck, and his exotic eyes slid sideways towards the door the child had disappeared through.

"Sailor Ephraim, what do you think?"

For the first time since turning to face the Prince, Setsuna allowed herself to look over her shoulder at Anyuta. A fierce frown sat between her dark eyes, and she tapped her fingers against her leg. She looked at Setsuna, then Galaxia, and back again.

"I find it hard to believe that a Sailor Senshi would ever lie about such a thing, Sailor Pluto. Or a mother. My Prince, I believe them."

"Sailor Aram?"

Looking ahead once more, she saw the young woman in bronze bounce on the balls of her feet. Her lips opened, closed, and opened again. She glanced to her left, but the pale woman did not acknowledge this silent plea for assistance.

"I...I don't...I guess-"

"This is not a moment for guessing, Sippora," Anyuta snapped.

"Let me think!" Sailor Aram hissed. "Sailor Pluto was _not_ happy to be called an Animamate. I believe she's a Senshi. She vouches for Galaxia. Why?"

"Sailor Galaxia, in an act of desperation, attempted to seal Chaos away within herself," Setsuna explained. "For that reason, she sent her own Star Seed as far away from her as possible, to protect it. The woman you knew and the woman beside me share a face. Nothing more."

"She has her Star Seed back, then?"

"Yes," Galaxia whispered. "Setsuna's Princess helped me find my way back, and become...someone who may one day be worthy of the title Sailor Senshi again."

Sailor Aram, Sippora, bobbed her head uncertainly left and right. "I think... Ab, she sounds sincere, and if Sailor Pluto vouches for her, I think Anyuta's right. I think they're telling us the truth."

"Sailor Trachonitis?"

There was a long silence, and those silvery-brown eyes stared hard into Setsuna's.

"Trachonitis?" Anyuta prompted.

She pulled her plump lower lip between her teeth.

"Csilla, that's you," Sippora muttered from the corner of her mouth.

"Sailor Pluto," that husky voice said, "please, transform for us."

"_Nani?!?_"

"What?!?"

Both visiting Senshi stared at her with dropped jaws.

Csilla, Sailor Trachonitis, remained calm. "You speak as a Senshi, and you act as a Senshi, but I'm afraid that isn't enough to go to war. Please. Would you not also ask for the same assurances from visitors to your own planet?"

Remembering the uncertainty and suspicion that surrounded the arrival and actions of the Starlights, Setsuna smiled a little ruefully and nodded.

"Very well. But...well...oh, blessed Sol, do you _all_ have to be watching when I transform?"

"Are you shy?" Csilla asked, not sarcastic, but concerned.

"I...I just...well, I don't know about you ladies, but when _we_ transform, we, briefly...lose our clothes."

The three Senshi she could see all slowly raised their eyebrows. Then, together, they turned to look at Absalom. To Setsuna's shock, and infinite amusement, their Prince had turned a delicate shade of pink beneath his deep tan.

"Uh...excuse me."

He turned politely away.

While still stung with self-consciousness as five women stared at her, Setsuna released her hold on Galaxia's hand and stepped one step away. She reached into her pocket, and withdrew her wand, with her dark Sailor Crystal set atop. The eyes of the others moved to that gem, the very center of a planet's heart, and their gazes softened with sympathetic tenderness.

"PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER, MAKEUP!"

No, no one but a Sailor Senshi could ever truly understand, could ever _feel,_ the way she felt. Power, yes, there was power flooding her every nerve, a blaze that balanced precariously between pleasure and pain. The dark light rushed up around her, everything else disappeared, and her heart pounded in time with the throbbing of Pluto's very core. Her head fell langurously back, and Pluto's mark burned upon her flesh, a heated kiss on her brow. She had to struggle to remember how to breath as bands of light hugged her body in a tight embrace, and she felt Pluto moving within her. Her hair spun around her, her body felt _alive,_ and she was not a Soldier _of_ Pluto. She _was_ Pluto, and Pluto was she, and they were one, only one, and how could she ever have felt alone?

But it could not last. It never did. Her hair floated down, and the light faded, and her breathing and her heart slowed, and though she was strong and sure, and though Galaxia was gazing into her face to let her know that yes, she was beautiful, she was something a little less than what she had been just seconds before.

"Wow!" Sippora chirped, her eyes sweeping over Sailor Pluto appreciatively. "Very impressive. I love the boots! And the earrings! What's the staff for?"

"Aram!" Anyuta and Csilla chorused disapprovingly. The little one by the door added, "Absalom, it's safe for you to look."

He did so slowly, peeking over his shoulder first, then turning slowly around until he faced Setsuna completely. His eyebrows rose, and his beautiful gray eyes widened in surprise. This time when they swept over her, they were not cold, but warm, and... appreciative? A smile quirked the corner of his generous mouth, and he nodded slowly.

"I suppose that answers Csilla's question," Absalom murmured. "Your uniform is...different from my Senshi's, but you are undoubtedly a Sailor Soldier. So what do you think, Sailor Trachonitis?"

Csilla smiled sadly. "I think it has been many ages since the Kingdom of Geshur was blessed with a visit from our sister Senshi, and I wish it were under better circumstances. Yes, my Prince, I, unfortunately, believe we had best prepare ourselves for war."

Absalom turned to the last woman, Sailor Lejah. Only because she was still studying him intently, trying to decipher the way he had smiled at her, did Setsuna notice the subtle change in his face. His lips tightened slightly, and the tiniest of lines was etched over his broad nose and between his eyes.

"Miri?" he asked softly.

Gray eyes held Setsuna's, and for a second that gaze pierced so deep that she almost felt fingers combing through her brain. Then Miri, Sailor Lejah, retreated within herself, and she finally moved, turning her head completely to look at Absalom. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she nodded again.

"Very well," Absalom said, looking back to Sailor Pluto and Galaxia. "What is your plan? Is there a plan?"

"We have a plan," Galaxia told him, sidestepping to close the gap Pluto had left as she transformed. Her fingers slid down Pluto's arm to close around her wrist. "We need strength, and unity. We are asking the Sailor Senshi to-"

"No, Princess, no!"

The door behind Absalom flew open, and the child raced back into the room. Black hair fell in ringlets around a face bright with childish rage, and dark eyes flashed up at Galaxia and Pluto with dislike, but no fear. She was young, but her head would come to Anyuta's chin. Her face held the same catlike nose as Absalom, the same sharp cheekbones, and the same wide mouth was pulled down sulkily. Her dress, the skirt full and frilled, was the same deep green as the Geshur Crystal. Gold embroidery trimmed the hem to match the laces at her wrists and neck.

Her arms closed around Absalom's legs, and she pressed her cheek to his pants.

"I don't want Lirita!" she shrieked. "I want you, Absalom!"

The woman in the black dress entered hard on the little girl's heels, her own face flushed with frustration. She stopped beside Csilla, her fingers swiping golden brown bangs back from a forehead glistening with sweat. She was not quite as tall as Sailor Lejah, though close, and her eyes were a soft, clear blue. A bun of hair was pinned to the nape of her neck. Her dress was simple, almost severe, high at the throat, the sleeves closed at the wrists, and the straight skirt fell to her ankles. Yet her face was young, no older than the Senshi, and she appeared near tears as she addressed a child almost half her size.

"Princess, you were told to stay in your room!" the harassed young woman cried. "I told you-"

"_You_ don't tell me anything!" the girl all but screamed back. Csilla and Sippora both winced, and raised their hands to their ears with resigned sighs. "_I_ am the Princess of Geshur! _I_ am the true holder of the Geshur Crystal! These are _my_ Senshi! _I_ don't have to listen to _you!_"

"Ab, make her stop!" Sippora groaned.

"Tamar!" Absalom took her by her shoulders and pulled her away from his legs. "That is enough! You are to mind Lirita!"

"I DON'T WANT LIRITA!"

"Absalom, if you don't make her quiet," Anyuta announced angrily, "I will!"

The child, Tama, whirled around, her pretty face sufused with rage. "You are _my_ Senshi! You are supposed to protect _me_, not _her_!"

"That is enough!" Absalom growled, and he pulled Tamar around again, dropping to one knee to look her in the face. "Those two ladies are Sailor Senshi from another system."

Though Pluto could see only part of Tamar's profile, she saw her eyes narrow in consideration.

"Like in the story of Tsifira and Talmai?"

"Yes, like that. Sailor Pluto is here on behalf of her own Princess. Is this the report you want her to take back? That the Princess of Geshur, who will one day become _Sailor Geshur_ herself, was nothing more than a spoilt child?"

Csilla and Sippora, having found it safe to remove their hands from their ears, looked at each other with identical grimaces that plainly read, _She would be telling the truth._ Even the silent and still Miri cocked an ironic eyebrow at the Prince and Princess.

"If they are visitors," Tamar said with haughtuer, "than _I_ should have been the one to greet them!"

Absalom stood and moved away. "Greet them, then, Princess Tamar."

The child blinked in surprise, and looked much smaller standing there alone in the center of the room. Pluto was reminded forcibly of her own Small Lady, and her heart was touched. Tamar caught herself up, took her skirt, and curtseyed.

"I am Princess Tamar of Geshur, daughter of Queen Yovela and King Sivan. I am the true holder of the Geshur Crystal."

Pluto looked sideways at Galaxia, who returned her questioning glance with equal bemusement.

"Question," Galaxia announced, looking forward again. "If young Tamar here-"

"_Princess_ Tamar!" the child corrected her angrily.

Galaxia was thrown off her stride, but Pluto, both a mother and a guardian of her Queen's child, turned an icily disapproving stare on Tamar.

"A ladylike Princess does not interrupt," she informed the startled girl. "And as you have shown no respect to either Galaxia-sama or myself, I see no reason why she should call you by title. Galaxia, what was your question?"

Smiling appreciatively, Galaxia asked again, "If young Tamar is the heir to the Geshur throne, and the rightful holder of the Geshur Crystal, why exactly do _you _have it, Absalom?"

He smiled bitterly as he stepped up behind Tamar, and executed a curt bow over her head.

"I am Absalom, son of Queen Yovela, and the Prince Regent of Geshur since my...my mother's death. I hold the Geshur Crystal until Tamar turns thirteen, when she will be mature enough to truly master it."

Lirita, Csilla, Sippora, and even Miri threw uncertain glances at the back of his head.

"Oh," Galaxia and Pluto said together, and they nodded. Absalom was no usurper, but a loyal brother doing his best to protect his young sister. It was a relief to find that Geshur was not in need of rescuing, as there was still much that needed to be done.

"You were going to tell us your plan, Sailor Galaxia," Csilla reminded her in her gentle voice. "A show of strength and unity?"

"More than a show," Pluto said. "To succeed against something like the Abyss, it will take the light of the entire galaxy to burn away the darkness. I don't know how many we can gather...I don't know if we have the _time_...but we're using Earth as our base of opperations, as it were. We have our own people already there, as well the Senshi from the Kingdom of Kinmoku."

"We can't leave Geshur!" Anyuta spoke suddenly, and Pluto had a fleeting wish that she would join the others further in the room, as continually craning their necks to see her was giving the visitors something like whiplash. "This is our home! How can you be sure this thing will come after Earth first?"

"It's personal, at this point," Galaxia said. "Their Princess snatched the Abyss's prey from within its very jaws."

"So it has decided to destroy her, and everything that she loves," Pluto added. "The rest of Creation is next on its list, but we are first."

"Well, there's an honor we don't begrudge you," Absalom said. "But Anyuta is right. I can't leave. Who would I leave in charge?"

"I could do it!" Tamar piped up.

"No, you couldn't," Absalom, Csilla, Sippora, and Anyuta chorused, her brother adding, "You are only six-years-old."

"We could never leave Absalom without Senshi," Csilla said. "His position is...precarious. And I'm not sure it would be wise, with only Absalom to hold its power in check, to remove the Crystal from Geshur at this time. As for Geshur itself, who would run the Kingdom?"

"What about the dowager King?" Lirita asked suddenly. "Lord Sivan is familiar with the Council and the laws, why couldn't he-?"

"Sivan is not King anymore," Sippora cut in quickly. "He doesn't have the right to stand in as regent for...the Regent."

"But-"

"It would not be right to ask that of him," Absalom said slowly. "No, Lirita, I cannot hand over the Kingdom to anyone."

"But...we can't do this without you!" Pluto cried. "We need as many Senshi as possible!"

"And we will help you," Csilla said soothingly. "But we cannot leave Geshur without its Prince, we could never leave Tamar to rule, or send her away, she's a child, and-"

"I will go."

It was a voice like none Pluto had ever heard before, beautiful, almost musical, but soft as a whisper that somehow managed to fill the room, and her head. She blinked through the sound, and found everyone else in the room staring at Miri with shock. She, however, was looking at Absalom, and her perfect pink mouth was smiling.

"No, Miri," Absalom said quickly, "I need you here."

"Why?" Tamar demanded, and she backed up until she was pressed against his legs. "Why do you need Miri? Why can't she go? I _want_ her to go."

Pluto shot a quick question to Galaxia with her eyes, and saw it returned.

_Why did Tamar want Miri to go?_

"That's very good, Princess, because Miri wants to go as well," Sailor Lejah breathed. "Come now, who else are you going to send? Will anyone even know I'm gone?"

"_I_ will," Absalom shot back, but he was smiling a little, too. "I don't like this."

"You can't send Anyuta, she is the personal guardian of both you and Tamar. So who would you send? Csilla? Sippora?"

"I could see sending Sippora away," he murmured, and his smile, though a little sad, was growing.

"You would send Sippora on a diplomatic mission?" Miri asked in disbelief.

"You know, Sippora is standing _right here!_"

"We know," Absalom and Miri said together.

Then the Prince took a deep breath, and nodded. "Very well. Miri will go to visit your Princess of Earth, and she will speak for me."

"Oh, no!" Galaxia said quickly. "No, she isn't the Princess of _Earth!_ That's just the easiest place to gather people. She's the Princess of the Moon."

Miri raised one eyebrow slowly. "The Moon?" she asked slowly. "Is that what you call yourselves? The people of the Moon?"

"The people of the _White_ Moon, actually," Pluto corrected her. "But you'll be going to Earth. That's where we live. The Moon...is not what it once was."

Those opaque gray eyes stared at her for a moment, then she said softly, but sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"_Arigatou,_" Pluto murmured. "I...I'll tell you where to go. I'm afraid things aren't like they are here. People don't know about the Sailor Senshi. Not really. They don't _remember_ our Kingdom. It was the best way to protect them. I can't send you to a Tower, or a Palace, because there isn't one anymore."

"Then where will she go?" Sippora asked with concern.

"To my home. You will stay with my sisters, Haruka and Michiru. The Princess of Kinmoku is already there, as well as her Senshi. My sisters will make you as comfortable as possible. And you will definitely be given a chance to meet other Senshi."

"The I suppose that's it," Absalom said with a sigh. "It's decided. It's done. I think it would be best for our guests to spend the night. I suppose you will be going somewhere else tomorrow? Looking for more Senshi?"

They both nodded.

"If you need some place to ever come back to," Absalom murmured, and he smiled at Pluto again, "you are welcome here."

Pluto blinked at that smile, and felt her own smile in return, even as she turned her hand to cling to Galaxia's.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon in any of its various and sundry forms...

A/N: And a slight pause to catch our breaths, and here we go again! Thanks go out to _Aphrodite's Kiss_ (I like Absalom's Senshi the best of my oc's, so thanks!) _Ame. _(yes, yes, threw in a little more yuri, 'cause you know there isn't enough of that in Sailor Moon, and the feelings of the transformation just seem to need to be fleshed out and become more than swirly colors, you know?) _Luv-X-Juliet _(sorry about the long wait, but I hope this is keeps the excitement going) _Lalaitha Yamainu _(I tried to send you a PM, I hope you got it, and again, what is LDS, please?)_ Isis Aurora Tomoe _(it would be hard to suddenly get back your conscious and look around at all the damage you inflicted, but worse when everyone just knows the bad side, wouldn't it?) _Bin82501_ (sorry I stopped just when I started picking up speed, I'll try to keep on the ball for a bit here! And here is Usagi for you once again) _astra-kelly _(Anyuta is totally badass, but wait till you get to see more of Miri :p and as for Setsuna's love life, ah, you are a woman after my own heart, and she's like several thousand years old, so she deserves all the love she can get) _Artemis-chan of Redwing _(I get worried sometimes that I switch viewpoints too much, so thanks for saying it helps, Absalom is a handsome young man, and Setsuna is not immune, and Small Lady had nothing on Tamar, she's a brat, and I think how close Hotaru and Setsuna are tends to get lost in all the other relationships so I had to bring it out) _goldnheart _(one of the reasons I decided to do this story at all was to bring explore the idea of other Senshi and the Sailor Wars, and I'm really enjoying, so it's nice to see others are, too! and I think when they transform they really do become something more, almost someone different, and I just wanted to show that, so thanks)_ Sabrina _(ah, you've all got me feeling guilty for not updating sooner, stop with the nice reviews! As for Miri and Absalom...hm...complicated)_ mlkoolc86 _(I know, I know, no one saw G/S coming, but I tried to drop subtle hints...) _Sunwritten _(the puzzle does make sense in the end, and I'm glad you all trust me with that, and once more sorry for the hiatus) _FireSenshi2_ (that's sweet, thank you) _Girl Who Writes _(AHA! Someone caught the Galaxia/Setsuna interplay, and you are not wrong about Absalom...on several levels. Sorry folks, but the Animates will not be appearing, though it was a tough choice) _InusAkane_ (you know, no one seemed to think of Setsuna with a woman, but you're all on board with that, and it is so cool, and I have so much back story for all my characters, especially Absalom and company, that it's bordering on obsessive...no, it's crossed over) _ladyhawk89_ (I tried not to do Galaxia and Setsuna, I asked my sister and she said not so much yuri in the outer planets, and next thing I knew they were having super close moments, so I said, ah, what the hell, and one last time, I'm sorry about how long the updates took!)

_The floor did not reflect the cosmos this time. He felt barely a pressure against his feet, as though he stood on something not quite solid. When he looked down, he saw nothing but colorless mist. When he looked up, or around, it was the same, as though he merely existed, without standing or sitting or kneeling or lying. He could move his limbs, but they touched nothing. He thought he could walk, but with the mist constantly drifting and changing about him, he did not know if he was traveling, or just aimlessly kicking his legs._

_His hand brushed questioningly against his leg. He wore pants, black, but almost as formless as the mist. No satin stripe down the side revealed them to be the slacks of a tuxedo, yet there was no armor encompassing him, either. The other hand touched his chest, and he realized with surprise he wore no shirt. No shoes, no jewelry, and no mask, either._

_Even with the pants, he felt naked, as though eyes were watching him through the mist, judging him, measuring him, demanding an answer from him to a question he had not yet heard._

_"Endymion."_

_He turned, he thought he turned, and there she stood._

_His Princess._

_Her silver hair tumbled down from the royal Lunarian buns, down to her feet and perfect white slippers. He knew the pure white dress, the flowing, semi-transparent skirt, the delicate bead work and fitted bodice and swirling sleeves, all gently embracing the body of a young woman in her first bloom of beauty. His eyes strayed from the masterpiece of clothing to her bare shoulders, slender throat, heaving bosom and beautiful face. A fierce longing surged through him, and a touch of reverence. She looked at him with sad, beseeching eyes, and held out one little hand. _

_Her Prince took a step towards her._

_"Mamo-chan!"  
_

_A whirl put his back to the Princess, and his eyes rested on someone very different._

_His Usako._

_Blond hair was gathered the same way, two buns on top of her head. Yet the tails swirling down over her shoulders were not so tidy, and fell only to her knees. Her white shirt and red bow, her knee length blue skirt, he knew them the way he knew the Princess's gown, and he loved them, too. Her hands clasped behind her back, she was smiling at him innocently, her eyes closed on silent laughter. She was little more than a child, adorable almost beyond belief. Trust shone in her young face as she opened her blue eyes, and a soft tenderness rose within him. She held out one childish hand to him._

_Mamoru took a step towards her._

_"Tuxedo Kamen-sama."_

_He turned from her to another woman._

_Sailor Moon._

_She looked like an angel, her gold buns adorned with brilliant red jewels, and a simple gold tiara resting against her pale brow. That brilliant sunlit hair waved down to the ankles of her boots. She held her head high, and her blue eyes were assured, yet gentle. A choker hugged her slim neck, and a large red ribbon closed her wide sailor-style collar over the early, supple curves. The white body suit and short skirt showed him tantalizing glimpses of flesh too young to be seen in anything more than guilty glances. Her legs seemed so long, perfectly curved as they met the red of her tall boots. She held a scepter to her chest, and, most appropriately, a pair of white wings could be glimpsed over her shoulders. Her smile was tentative, and hot protectiveness made his fists clench at his sides. She held out one gloved hand to him._

_Tuxedo Mask took a step towards her._

_"Dearest."_

_He spun on his heel, and he shook his head in shock as he confronted a lovely adult woman._

_Neo-Queen Serenity._

_The heart of the Queen's crown rose between the silver gilt buns, while the delicately wrought metal hugged her forehead. Her hair pooled on the floor around her feet. The gown of the Queen looked much like that of the Princess, the same fall of ivory skirts, the same beading and intricate bodice. Yet it caressed a mature figure, the body not of a child, not even an adolescent...the body of a woman. Childbirth had not impaired that graceful form, but given it life and fullness. Iridescent wings like a butterfly's shimmered behind her. An ageless face considered him for a moment, still as marble. The blue eyes were expressionless, but he had seen them pleased, passionate, angry, and frightened. Then she smiled, full of love and pleasure and welcome for her husband. Tenderness and desire nearly brought him to his knees, and slowly, she held out one graceful hand to him._

_King Endymion took a step towards her._

_A gasp sounded behind him._

_Slowly, reluctantly, he turned once more..._

_And saw a woman he did not know._

_Her hair shifted with the mist, light as air and the same shining silver as the Princess or Queen. Long, it would fall at least to her feet if it would settle for a moment. There were buns on her head, but he blinked uncertainly. They were ever so slightly different, indented somehow in the center, so that they looked like...hearts. She wore white, but it was not a gown. It was a pure white Sailor Senshi uniform, so very similar to those he had seen a thousand times before, but still different. The body suit hugged her torso the same way, but the pleated skirt did not flare out as far, rippling gently against her thighs. No bow held her sailor collar closed, and he saw no heart shaped broach. Instead, he saw the symbol that baffled them all, the gold six point star, glittering over her heart, and shedding its own white light. It was there again, on the white ribbon around her throat, hanging from a delicate chain around her forehead, and pinned at her waist to hold the only touch of color about her; eight fluttering ribbons, each a different color. Around the stars at her chest and waist, he saw white, feathery wings that actually moved, slowly closing and opening over the stars as though to protect them. As he looked more closely, he saw that it was not just her hair drifting around her, but also a light, filmy cloak or cape. The body beneath the white uniform was the epitome of womanly, as though time stopped at the precise moment of physical perfection, every curve soft, every line firm. Her legs looked impossibly long as they ended in delicate ankles and small white, winged shoes. In one elegant, strong hand she held a long staff, topped with an orb like a giant pearl flanked by two more fluttering wings that supported the last six point star._

_Finally, he forced his eyes to her face. Ageless, timeless, and perfect like her body, she looked so much like all the women before her. She was assured, proud, regal, and he read the sheer, awesome power in her gaze. With merely a gesture of one hand, he felt she could bring forth life from this formless mist...or plunge it all into darkness. He met eyes as silver as her hair. For a moment, they were ancient, almost alien. Then something flickered, and he saw recognition, instantly followed by longing, tenderness, protectiveness, desire, and love._

_And fear._

_She held out her hand to him._

_"Help me."_

_He wanted to do more than take a step. He wanted to run to her, because she was frightened, and she needed him._

_"Please," she whispered, in the voice of all the women he loved, "please, can't you tell me..._who am I_?"_

_"Endymion..."_

_"Mamo-chan..."_

_"Tuxedo-kamen sama..."_

_"Dearest..."_

_He spun around and around, or perhaps they spun around him. Five faces, wistful and adorable and strong and regal and powerful, swirled before his eyes, and each one of them asked him the same question._

_"Do you love me?"_

_"Please," he begged, and he held out his hand to her. All of her. "Please, I love you."_

_"Who?"_

_They stepped from the mists, and demanded answers of him._

_Usagi._

_"Mamo-chan, why do you treat me like a child?"_

_Princess Serenity._

_"Endymion, why won't you let me stay with you?"_

_Sailor Moon._

_"Tuxedo-kamen sama, don't you believe in me?"_

_Neo-Queen Serenity._

_"Dearest, don't you know I need you?"_

_And her._

_"Don't you know me?"_

_He pressed the heels of his hands to his temples and fought to sort out their swirling faces, their eyes and expressions and forms. He did not close his eyes. He could not. Even as he struggled against the madness and confusion of all these women closing in, he could not close her out._

_"What is it you want from me?!?" he cried out._

_"What do you want from me?" they asked him. "Who do you want me to be? I can't find my bearings here. You're the only thing I know. I need you. I've always needed you. I always will. So tell me."_

_"Tell you...?"_

_"Tell me who you love."_

_"What?" he whispered, shaking his head in confusion. "I don't understand."_

_"Tell me the woman you love. Do you want a Princess? A normal girl? A heroine? A wife and mother of your child? Something more?"_

_"The woman I love..."_

_They moved around him, coming closer, drifting back into the mist, appearing, disappearing, always just out of reach. All five stared at him with frightened, loving eyes. Their love and fear drove him down to his knees, but still he did not, could not, try to flee her._

_"Pick the woman you love. _Tell me who I am_!"_

_He looked up, through the madness, and focused on her eyes. Blue eyes or silver, innocent or mature, it did not matter, they were _her _eyes. He knew her eyes. He adored them, and always had. The swirling faces seemed to slow, and then to still, and it was merely him, and merely her._

_"You are the woman I love."_

_She was there, her hair a delicate gold that might glint silver, her eyes blue and endless, and she was a young woman finding her way in a body not fully grown, but no longer a child's. She wore white, simple, silk he thought, or merely the mist enshrouding her, nothing more than a sheath over her slender form. She wore no shoes, no jewelry, no crown, no wings, and no mark on her forehead. Her hair stayed in those buns, and trailed around her as she walked, yes, walked towards him, and the ground was solid beneath him again._

_She held out one trembling hand to him, and he did not need to take a step towards her, because she was so close. He reached up, took her hand, and pulled it to his lips to brush a kiss across the back. Her breath caught slightly above him, yet when he raised his gaze to her face, she was smiling._

_"And you are the only man I have ever loved."_

_Her hand turned in his grip, cupping his cheek, her thumb tracing over his lips. Slowly, he raised his free hand and laid it on her hip. Drawing her closer, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against her belly. He felt her breathing, could almost feel her heart beating against him. She held him close to her, her fingers playing gently with his hair. She smelled like spring flowers and purity and felt like paradise as he pressed his lips to her abdomen in an almost unconscious kiss. Her fingers stilled in his hair, but her breathing began to quicken._

_He turned his head just slightly, and kissed her belly through the simple sheath again, this time just to the right of her navel, then once just to the left. Both hands gripped her waist, tightening as he continued to trail kisses across her stomach, now moving slowly but steadily up the line from her bellybutton. She gasped in earnest as he rose up from his knees, his lips caressing their way along the cleft between her breasts, and finally found flesh instead of her dress. Her skin tasted sweet as his tongue briefly traced the line of her collarbone. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Following the pulsing vein of her throat upwards, he sucked gently at the lobe of her ear as fingernails cut into the nape of his neck._

_"I miss you so much," he whisper against her ear. "I can't keep doing this without you."_

_"I don't want to be so far from you," she murmured back. "Never. But you aren't safe. Not yet. She's gone mad, and she can't hear me when I say I need you. And what she has given me...sometimes I can hold it and bend it to my will, and sometimes I think it is burning me up inside."_

_He kissed along her jaw until he could speak against her lips. "I want to be the only thing that burns you up inside."_

_He felt her mouth turn up into a smile. "You burn brighter inside of me than any other flame in the universe. I want you, I need you, and I'll always love you. But please, stay away for now."_

_His arms tightened around her until her ribs nearly dug into his arms. "Not yet. Stay a little longer here with me. We'll keep one another safe here."_

_She sighed and nodded. "Yes."_

_There were no clocks in the mist. There was no time, no future or past, nothing but the feel of her skin, her little hands tracing down his chest as she never had before, and the little gasps and moans as his lips found more and more secret places across her body. No buttons or clasps fastened her dress, but it parted under his fingers as though burned away by the heat of his touch. His back touched the ground, her weight on his chest and abdomen, her legs tangled with his, and all her glorious hair falling in a gold and silver haze around them. One hand slid down his chest, and down his stomach, and touched the waist of his pants tentatively._

_Long, soft eyelashes stroked his face as she looked up at him. There was a question there, a touch of nervousness, but no fear._

_He wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her mouth down to his. Her body arched against him, and delicate fingers gave a tiny pull at the black fabric. Her hands felt like fire, a rapture bordering on pain as the fabric disintegrated at her touch, and she stroked down the flesh of his waist, his hip, and his thigh..._


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon in any of its various and sundry forms...

A/N: And now a reminder of how this got into the genres it's in...

_The mist was timeless, so she could only guess how long it took for her breathing to return to normal. She laid sprawled against him, occasionally feathering kisses across his chest as his fingers played in her hair. She knew she must return to reality, to poor Minau who had cried for hours until she fell into a fitful sleep, to her mother's fearful eyes, and to the constant voice of her mad, long dead grandmother._

_"We have to go back," Usagi whispered into his collar bone. "It's time to go back."_

_Lips caressed the top of her head. "But when I go back, you won't be there. I...I don't like that. I hate that."_

_"I know. But maybe," she added with a little laugh, "after this, we know it really is best if we're apart for right now. It was hard enough to focus around you before. Now I know...so many things I didn't know. But it doesn't feel like something new, just something I forgot. Does that make sense?"_

_"Is it strange that it does?"_

_She lifted her head from Mamoru's chest, and let her eyes smile into his. Using his shoulder, she pushed herself up off the ground and found her feet once more. By the time she stood straight, the simple dress had returned from the mists to drape lightly about her form. He gave tiny, reluctant sigh, caught the hem of her skirt, and pressed a little kiss to it. Then he rose to join her, shadows rippling around his legs until he stood beside her in those simple, plain pants._

_They wore so very little, but the barrier grew between them again, and seemed as solid as stone._

_"Will you tell everyone that I'm alright?" Usagi asked softly. "Tell the girls not to worry about me, please. I'm not so very alone, and I'm not so very far from you."_

_"Even now you're too far from me," Mamoru whispered. "But I'll tell them. You can't blame them for worrying about you when you keep such huge things from them."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"We know about the Abyss. We know about our ancestors."_

_She could not hide her tiny gasp of astonishment. "How?"_

_"We put it together, from things said, and so many things you did not say. How could you try to carry that all alone?"_

_"What good would it have done to have told you all?" she shot back. "I thought they were just nightmares. I didn't believe anyone needed to know...it's too horrible. Those voices, and all that evil...I see them in there sometimes, in my dreams. Their faces look like your faces, only tortured and twisted into something..." She turned and took a hasty step away. "Into something I can't love!"_

_A tiny cold wind pulled lightly at at her hair and sent a smattering of goosebumps chasing up her arms. She hugged herself against cold and fear, watching the mist stirring around her._

_"But you know...they aren't us? Right?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded angrily as she whirled back around._

_"You ran from us-"_

_"To _protect_ you! _Ten _kings and queens went into that Abyss, and _nine_ of them, your ancestors, remain there! But my grandmother...She went in with them, but she isn't like them. I don't know what she is."_

_"She was fighting them all this time," Mamoru said simply. "We figured it all out. And when your grandmother looks out through your eyes at us all, it's them she sees. Is it the same for you?"_

_"Don't be stupid. I can see you in their faces, but I can't see their evil in yours." She blinked back tears and wrapped her arms more tightly about herself. Briefly she wished her dress were a little heavier. How had she not noticed how cold it was while she lay naked with him? "I'm afraid of them because I can't think of a way to save them."_

_He shook his head at her, and his blue eyes burned with understanding sympathy. "Even you can't save everyone."_

_"But what if I can't find a way because...because I don't want to?"_

_The understanding fled, and he frowned uncertainly. "You mean, what if it's your grandmother's voice telling you they should be destroyed?"_

_The cold brushed across her shoulders, and lifted a single strand of her hair._

_"I mean, what if it isn't? What if it's just me?"_

_"Then you have finally shown your true colors, you treacherous little brat."_

_A startled, pained scream erupted from her mouth, and she realized suddenly that no wind could move just one lock of hair. Cold fingers pressed against her scalp as they twisted her hair tighter and tighter, dragging her head back. She lashed out automatically with one arm. Her fist struck flesh behind her, but it did not flinch or show any sign of pain._

_"No, let her go!" he shouted, his hand groping uselessly at his side for a weapon not there._

_Icy breath that smelled of almost frozen blood raked across Usagi's face as a cold cheek was pressed to hers. The other hand seized onto her abdomen. Sharp nails sank into the flesh, digging deeper than human hands should have been able. She felt her skin begin to give way. A tiny trickle of blood wet her dress._

_"What are you doing?" she gasped, bucking back against her captor. "Stop it!"_

_Mamoru started forward quickly, but stopped as the enemy yanked her more firmly between them. His eyes were wide and frightened, and fixed not on her face, but the face just beyond hers._

_"Please," he whispered. "Please, let her go."_

_"Not until I have ripped it out of her," a cold female voice whispered._

_He glanced at Usagi, but looked quickly back. "Ripped what out of her? What is it you want from her?"_

_"She was twice as powerful as us all, entrusted with the guardianship of our whole system, and then she was even the keeper of the Flame. Yet the beautiful White Moon is bloodless, lifeless."_

_The fingers twisted harder into her belly, and Usagi shrieked, clawing at the hand holding her._

_The voice continued without a tremor._

_"Barren."_

_She writhed and struck out again and again, but the hold did not slacken, and the other woman remained unmoved._

_"Let me go!"_

_Mamoru did not hesitate again. He lunged forward, and Usagi threw out her arm towards him. Their hands closed together and he pulled as hard as he could. She felt the long nails ripping her abdomen open, but she fell forward gratefully into his arms. They stumbled back, and she finally looked over her shoulder at her attacker._

_A gown as blue as Earth's oceans..._

_Hair as black as Mamoru's..._

_Pale skin..._

_Delicate bones..._

_She might have been beautiful. But Usagi's blood soaked her clenched fingers and spattered her gown, and her own blood stained the lashes around her empty eye sockets. Her lovely mouth twisted into a vicious sneer as she came a step closer._

_"The White Moon," the ancient Queen of Earth hissed, "is a wasteland. There should be no children of the Moon! No daughters! No Princesses! No Queens!"_

_Mamoru's hand shook violently on her waist as he led her several steps back from his crazed ancestress._

_"There will be," the Queen hissed, "no more."_

_Her eyes widening in horror, Usagi stared down at her abdomen. Those wicked nails had dug deeper than she had realized. Blood flowed freely, staining down to her knees. She swayed weakly. Mamoru gripped her shoulders, his frightened breathing harsh against her ear._

_"No more," the Queen of Earth whispered again, and for a moment she opened her clenched hand. Something nestled there in the palm, something tiny, too tiny, surely, to be what it appeared to be._

_Usagi stared at the little unformed hands with only stubs of fingers, at a mouth that was barely more than a slit but somehow held a shadow of Mamoru's smile, at small feet that already kicked, and at the delicate chest, where she could see a heart beating beneath the transparent skin._

_She thought she heard Chibiusa's laugh._

_"This isn't real," Usagi gasped. "This isn't possible. Even if I were...you couldn't rip her out of me! You couldn't-"_

_The bloody hand closed, and squeezed._

_"MAMA!"_

_"Stop it!" Mamoru roared behind her. "Stop this! Leave her alone!"_

_The fingers tightened until Usagi could see the tendons straining, and more blood dripped out._

_"Mama! Mama..."_

_The pain sliced through her womb and her heart. She would have fallen if Mamoru had not been clutching her to his chest. Tears streamed down her face as she heard that little voice again._

_"Mama, please..."_

_"You're lying!" Usagi wailed. "You're all lies, now! This isn't real! I'm not pregnant, and you could never rip my child out of me! She is part of me!"_

_"We will rip you to pieces until we can choke her out of you!" the Queen screeched right back. "The daughters of the Moon will not rule over our children any more!"_

_She ground her fingers together. Usagi felt her heart being ripped down into her abdomen, preparing to bleed out on the floor. She held her belly together with her arms and said again and again in her head, _It's not real. It can't be real!

_"Mother, stop!"_

_The Queen froze, her fingers relaxing slightly. The pain eased, and Usagi managed to turn shocked eyes up to Mamoru's face. He stared hard at the atrocity that had once been his own flesh and blood, and though there was disgust in his face, she saw also a shimmer of sympathy._

_"Mother," he said, "please, stop this. Think of what you're doing, what you're willing to do. You are Terra, Gaia, Eve, Mother Earth. You are the source of my own blood. We, you and I, share blood. Doesn't that make me part of you?"_

_"My son," she whispered, reaching out with the blood covered hand, "you are the very best part of me."_

_"Then the child in your hand, the child of this woman," Mamoru said slowly, "is a part of you as well."_

_Her delicate brow furrowed. She drew herself up, and suspicion entered her voice._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"This woman is the mother of my child. Her daughter is _my_ daughter...and your blood."_

_Her hand went slack with shock. Usagi waited in silence. She knew this was all yet another lie of the Abyss, but those fluttering little fingers flashed through her mind again, and the terror was very real._

_"The Earth...the Moon...a child between you?" the Queen whispered in a tone of awe. "Your two bloods together in one little person?"_

_"Yes, Mother," Mamoru whispered. "So please-"_

_"STOP IT!"_

_The scream was wrenched from Usagi as the ancient Queen rolled her fingers against each other in an attempt to obliterate the unborn child there._

_"No child shall ever be born of the Earth and the Moon!" the Queen shouted. "I will not allow it! You will not take my son from me, you little whore!"_

_"Mother, please, she is your granddaughter!"_

_"We will find her, this daughter of the Moon, we will search the cosmos and the ages, we will hunt her down and we will devour her!"_

_"NO!" Mamoru roared, and he released Usagi in his rage to lunge at the Queen of the Earth._

_Her free hand lashed out, and he staggered to the side, clutching at the side of his neck. Usagi saw gashes there, not deep enough to kill, but enough to stun him._

_"You dare to mix your filthy blood with our own!" the Queen snarled. "You dare to think yourself worthy of my son! It is your fault the Abyss was created! It was the arrogant Moon, the Queen who thought she knew better than us all-"_

_"It was you!" Mamoru shouted, staggering around for another attack. "We heard it from the lips of Amaterasu herself! You let go! Even your own star renounces you!"_

_She did not hear him, or did not care._

_"Your arrogance, your overwhelming conceit, it is in your blood, and we will wash it from the universe forever! We will find your daughter-"_

_"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY CHILD!"_

_It was not the first Queen of the Moon. It was not uncontrolled. It was not from the will of another._

_The Flame burst to life within her own heart, within her own rage, and she focused it, all the power, on the once-beautiful face before her._

_The light was brilliant, the heat intense, and the destruction should have been complete._

_The Queen of Earth fell back, her face falling into an expression of pure hate. Then, in an instant, a hole of darkness appeared where once she had a heart. Her body collapsed into the darkness. The heat and light washed over nothing, and faded into the mist._

_"Usako?"_

_She turned to Mamoru, and took a hasty step forward. "Mamo-chan! Are you alright?"_

_"I'm...I'm fine." He lifted his hand from an uninjured neck. "You? Your stomach? Chibiusa?"_

_"It wasn't real, Mamo-chan. None of it was real," she told him with a smile._

_"Then why are you still bleeding?"_

_"Usagi?" a voice called from far away. "Usagi, are you awake? Usag-oh, my God!"_

_"Who is that?" Mamoru demanded. He reached for her hand. Automatically, she put out her own._

_Their fingers passed through each other._

_"Minau! Minau, what have you done?!? USAGI!"_

Usagi's eyes flew open, the mist disappeared, but the agony remained.

"Usagi!" Ikuko cried, and the bed beneath her trembled as her mother collapsed beside her. Her eyes were fixed, her mouth moving as she moaned in horror. "Oh God, oh God, you need a doctor! _Iie!_ Don't you touch my daughter!"

"No, I didn't! I swear I didn't! I am a Senshi, I would never-!"

"You little bitch!"

Usagi's hand seemed strangely heavy as she lifted it and laid it upon her torn abdomen. Something warm flowed over her fingers for a moment before a towel engulfed it all. Ikuko pushed down in a desperate attempt to stop the blood, sobs shaking her whole body.

"Why?!? Why would you do this?!?"

"I am a Senshi, I would never...I WOULD NOT DO THIS!"

Slowly, her head rolled to the side, and she gazed up at Minau.

The other Princess stood beside her, tears cascading from vivid green eyes and down reddened cheeks, her pink gold hair wildly disheveled, and across the front of her dress, in the same pattern as it stained the gown of the Queen of the Earth, was Usagi's blood.


	35. Chapter 35

_Disclaimer : I don't own Sailor Moon in any of its various and sundry forms..._

_A/N: One more time, then I think the Ancients are up. Thanks go out to _Elmo_ (I love how you guys seem to think I have this thing planned out…just kidding!) _Lalaitha Yamainu_ (hm, maybe I should have asked that question of one of my family members, who might have said, "Hey, remember when we lived in UTAH? Near SALT LAKE CITY?" I'm not kidding, I felt so stupid. I live in MN now, though, so L generally stands for Lutheran. I know enough of the rules that I shouldn't cuss in my responses to you, so I won't again, and I'm sorry. Answers to your questions about Usagi's wounds and what not found here! And you are the first person to figure out who that last identity was! Yea! It was all of them, by the way, not just Usagi, but I couldn't keep using he and she in that chapter, so I had to pick a name.) _Girl Who Writes _(we sort out the Minau confusion here, and the chapter with Mamoru dealing with all of her sides was very hard to write, so I'm thrilled you liked it) _Bin82501 _(the stakes have to get raised, or where's the fun, right?) _InusKage_ (oh, yeah, Mamo and Usa totally did, and in this case it does too count if it was in a dream __J__, hehehe) _Luv-X-Juliet_ (yes, Usagi is finally reconnecting with the others, which will at least make Mamoru a little less nuts for everyone else) _twilightm00n _(Thank you! It was supposed to be creepy, I'm glad I succeeded) _Sabrina_ (I have promised before and I will again, everyone gets some lovin', but you know, Kunzite and Minako haven't gotten any real attention, have they? :-P I love a long review, and I'll try and screw up so you can critique, it shouldn't be hard) _Sunwritten_ (ooh, love the enthusiasm, thanks!)_ Isis Aurora Tomoe_ (I am really mean to poor Minau, aren't I? This isn't much better, I'm afraid) _goldnheart _(I know it doesn't always seem like it, but the plot is moving forward. It's always easier for the author to know that, though, than the readers. I always feel like I struggle to make serious couple situations work, so thanks a bundle. And yeah, it was pretty horrific, wasn't it?)_

"Usagi, oh God, Usagi I need to get you to a hospital, Minau get _away!_"

"_I…Iie,_ Mama," Usagi whispered as another sparkling tear rolled down Minau's cheek. Something warm bubbled up in her mouth, and Ikuko moaned again. She felt weak, not like a little girl, but like a broken flower thrown negligently aside. Some part of her brain registered that she was lying diagonally across her bed, the toes of her left foot just brushing over the carpet while her right hand dangled over the other side. The feel of something soft under her right knee made her frown in confusion up at the ceiling. Something was strange there, too.

_Why is my pillow on the wrong end of the bed? Why is my window on the wrong side of the room?_

A few blinking moments brought the answer. She was laying the wrong way on her bed, her head at the bottom and her feet by her pillows. This was not right, not how she had fallen asleep, but it really wasn't that important when she could feel her blood drenching her clothes and the fingers of her left hand.

Moving slowly, Usagi raised her right hand to touch her broach. The Silver Imperium Crystal flickered beneath her fingers, fluttering like a little heartbeat. Yet she could not seem to call the words to her lips, or the power to her needs, and she let her hand fall onto the bed.

"Min…au…I can't…trans…transform. Help…me…"

"_Iie,_ I don't want her to—oh!" Ikuko cried out in fury as Minau pushed her back.

The other Princess gently lifted Usagi's hand away to stare down at her wound, her eyes widening in what could only be true horror and her head shaking slowly. Then she laid trembling fingers on Usagi's torn flesh and the bloody remnants of her nightshirt. The green of her eyes darkened, and her face became fixed as though she were listening to something.

"I think I can hear what is wrong with you, Serenity. Please, I must listen closer. I will not hurt you; I swear it upon Taraneh—"

"I know," Usagi breathed, too weak to say more.

Minau closed her eyes and tipped her head, her sunrise colored hair falling in Usagi's blood as she brought her ear close to the terrible wound. From what seemed far away, Usagi heard Ikuko's muffled sobs, and though she wanted to say something to stop her mother from crying, she could barely draw breaths. The longer she lay still, the more tired she felt, as though the very lack of action was draining her.

"May the heavens forgive you," Minau whispered, sitting up suddenly and peering at her ravaged flesh with terrified eyes, "for such an act is unforgiveable by me. Serenity, I must…there is something inside there. I must draw it out before I can help you. Please hold very still."

An image flashed suddenly into Usagi's mind, beautiful fingers soaked in blood squeezing tight over a tiny figure…

"_Iie!_" she gasped, trying to lift a hand to stop Minau. "Minau…don't…not my…Small Lady…my baby…"

"Baby?" Minau cried. "No, Serenity, no, I would never hurt a child! Something foul is inside of you, not a child, _please_ hold still, you are bleeding _so much_ and I need to stop it and I cannot do that with that _thing_ in there!"

"I will hold her," Ikuko offered. Usagi heard her start to walk across the room, but Minau held out one bloody hand to drive her back.

"Please, stay where you are. Serenity, hold very still and do not be afraid."

Her eye lids drooped and her heart was slowing to a soft, soothing rhythm. She managed to raise one corner of her mouth in enough of a smile to acknowledge Minau's words. She could not have moved if she wanted to, and really, the bed was so comfortable.

She was starting to feel very cold, though.

Usagi heard Minau take a deep breath.

"TARANEH CRYSTAL ARIA!"

_An attack?_ Usagi mused fuzzily as the perfect, wordless music came once again. _I trust you, Minau. You would never hurt—_

The scream ripped from her throat before she could fully realize the extent of her agony. Something tore at her from the inside, clawing its way up through her belly. The pink light throbbed around her. She could hear Minau gasping with exertion and she realized she was wrong. Taraneh's song was not cutting into her, but drawing something out of her, something that held on with sharp teeth or claws and did not wish to leave.

"Minau!" Ikuko wailed pitifully in the background. "Please, stop this!"

Minau gave a pained gasp, and suddenly the light and the song disappeared. The agony eased in her womb. Usagi tried to force both corners of her mouth up this time as she heard Ikuko shuffle forward.

"Is it out?"

"No," Minau whispered roughly. "No, that was not enough. I just…I am afraid to use anything more. There is so much blood already. I was not taught for this."

"Please," Ikuko whispered, "please, Minau, she is my only daughter. Do…do what you have to, but please, save her."

The Silver Imperium Crystal burned against her chest. The power within the Crystal pulsed wildly, like a prisoner beating against the walls of a dungeon. It seemed so very strange that the Crystal did not encompass and heal her like before, but her mind could not wrestle with the question of it for long.

_I'm just so tired…_

"Oh, Serenity, I am sorry," Minau whispered. "Please, Ikuko, get back. All the way to the wall, please, and do not move."

"Minau, please be careful—"

"TARANEH BURNING FANTASIA!"

She could no longer scream, but she wanted to desperately. Her back arched up as waves of pink and gold light encompassed her. It felt as though a flaming hand had reached inside of her. Still the thing within her did not want to go and held on with all its might. She thought she heard it screaming, or perhaps cursing. Then it ripped free, she collapsed onto the bed, and suddenly the light disappeared.

"Is that it?" Ikuko cried. "Is she okay? You healed her, right?"

"No," Minau said again, her voice frightfully weak. "No, she is wounded more now than before. But now I can help her."

The mattress sank beneath the weight of another body. A warm hand touched her forehead. After a moment, the other hand rested something cool and hard against her abdomen. She could hear Minau breathing close to her ear, could hear a soft _thump-thump_ like her heartbeat, but that could not be _her_ heart, because it was going far too fast and hers was going far too slow…

Except her heart did not feel so slow now, or so heavy. It was easier to breathe again. She found she could open her eyes. The ceiling of her bedroom came gradually into focus, as did two smiling gold eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"I…I don't hurt so much. I still feel…weak."

Minau turned her eyes towards the wound. Usagi levered herself onto her elbows, groaning with what was left of the pain, and looked for herself.

Blood soaked her sheets and her pajamas from just under her ribs down to her knees. Her nightshirt remained ripped open, and she could see the flesh of her abdomen. Long gouges lacerated her skin, dark red and deep. But they were closed. No fresh blood spilled forth.

"I am not a very good healer," Minau murmured in apology. "That was Shahdi's power. Sailor Mehrdad, I mean. She was teaching me how to do it. I am afraid I was not paying as close attention as I should have been. I did not know she would not have a chance to finish our lessons."

"You did very well," Usagi assured her. "I'm still alive, aren't I? But why wasn't there any music with the healing? Didn't Shahdi use music in her powers?"

Minau swallowed hard before saying, "Yes, she does…did. But she always said that the truest music can be heard in the beating of one's heart. Because when two hearts beat together, there is no sweeter sound in all the cosmos."

Usagi smiled and nodded. She looked across the room to her mother, who remained pressed against the opposite wall. Her eyes were so wide they seemed to be little more than a field of white with specks of brown. She stared hard at the ground by Minau's feet, too ashamed, Usagi thought, to meet the eyes of the girl she had cursed just moments before.

"Mama, it's alright now. You can come over here."

"Minau," Ikuko said slowly, "lift up your feet."

"_Nani?_"

"What?"

The two young women stared at her in confusion.

"Lift up your feet. NOW!"

Minau all but leapt onto the bed with Usagi, snatching her feet up though she continued to look baffled.

"Mama, what—?"

"What. Is. That?"

Usagi and Minau leaned over the side of the bed to follow the path of her gaze. They gave two rather childish shrieks and seized onto each other's arms as Usagi yanked her left foot up as well.

"What is it?" Minau wailed. "What _is_ it? It looks like…it looks like a…"

"A _fetus!_" Ikuko shouted. "It looks like a fetus! But it's all wrong!"

The thing on the blood spattered floor barely resembled the tiny creature in the Queen of Earth's cruel grip. Black and shriveled, it looked badly burned. For one horrific moment, Usagi wondered if she was looking down on a baby scorched by Sailor powers. But no, it was more than that. The arms twisted out strangely while its legs turned in. Usagi could not tell if it had merely landed in her blood, or if it was bleeding as well.

And it was moving.

It dug those misshapen little hands into the carpet, its slit of a mouth opening and closing, and it dragged itself forward, inch by inch. The trail through the blood showed it had indeed been mere fractions of an inch from Minau's toes. Now it had turned itself somehow, and was slowly trying to crawl its way towards Ikuko.

"Is that what was inside of me?" Usagi whispered in horror. "Did you pull that out of me?"

"It must be," Minau moaned. Her grip tightened on Usagi's arm as she tried to move further back onto the bed while still watching the horrible creature. "I just felt something sick within you, like a cancer. What is it, Serenity?"

"I have no idea."

Ikuko peeled herself from the wall, watching its progress with sick fascination. Usagi slowly lowered her feet to the carpet and managed to push herself up off the bed. Minau rose beside her, now holding her arm to keep her upright. Together the three of them took a step closer to the deformed creature. Through her fear and disgust, Usagi felt a sort of pity for the thing.

_Like Mamo-chan with the Queen…_

"What is it doing?" Minau asked. "It keeps going forward, but I don't think it can see. Does it want something? _Can_ it want something?"

"I think it needs a body," Usagi said. "Another body to grow inside."

_Another mother._

The thought made her gag slightly. She looked quickly to her desk. The picture she sought lay toppled over, but she caught a glimpse of pink hair.

_That is my daughter. That is my child. This is not a child. This is something else, something wrong._

"What do we do with it?" Ikuko asked. "We…we have to get rid of it, don't we? It wasn't supposed to be inside of you."

"I…I don't know _what_ we should do with it," Usagi admitted with a shrug.

"I don't want to hurt it," Minau added softly. "It's so little. Can it really be dangerous?"

Ikuko stared at her in shock. "Look at Usagi! Look at all this blood! Of _course_ it's dangerous!"

"I know," Minau whispered. She hung her head like a child. "I am sorry. It just seems so…_vulnerable_ now."

Biting her lip, Usagi looked behind her at the bed. Blood saturated everything except for her pillow. She plucked it up and shucked the case off as her mother and Minau watched, both with small frowns and raised eyebrows.

"It's the only thing clean," she explained simply.

"Clean?" Ikuko echoed. "What do you need—Usagi, _iie!_"

Usagi did stop halfway to her knees, but only because she stretched the injured skin of her belly, which sent sharp pains flashing up and down her body. She gave a gasp and clutched her wound. Minau helped her back upright, then took the pillowcase from her and swooped down on the little creature on the floor.

She did not touch it with her bare skin, but lifted it gently with the pillowcase. Like the unborn child in Usagi's dream, it fit easily into one hand. Minau chose to cradle it in the crook of her elbow like a new mother. The gaze she bent upon the tiny face was not glowing, though, but torn between compassion and horror.

"When Darya's mother gave birth to her son, when we were all very young," Minau murmured, "she held him like this, and she smiled very prettily, and she said he was just perfect. Why don't I feel like that? I just think it looks very ugly."

She frowned, then shrugged.

"Then again, I thought Darya's brother was very ugly when he was born, too."

"That," Ikuko said, pointing at the bundle of pillowcase in her arms, "was not born. I don't think you should touch it, Minau. There must be some place we can put it. Just lay it down on the bed there."

Minau wrinkled her nose uncertainly. "But the bed is all dirty with the blood."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem, sweetheart. Just put it down, and I think you and Usagi should come and stand by me, away from that, while we think of what to do."

As Minau turned to obey Ikuko's orders, the pillowcase fell open and Usagi glimpsed the twisted figure once again. Both young women saw it raise a tiny hand toward the face still peering uncertainly down at it. Minau gasped and jerked back her head. The malformed arm fell back to its side.

Minau looked up at Usagi like she might cry again.

"Do you think it knows I did that? Do you think I hurt it? It's not its fault that it was born this way!"  
"Alright, both of you over here, _right now,_" Ikuko snapped. "I want you away from that before you decide we need to adopt it and raise it. _Especially_ you, Minau."

"Because you think I put it there to hurt Serenity," Minau murmured in a dull voice. She did, however, deposit the creature on the bed, and she retreated with Usagi across the room.

"_Iie,_" Ikuko corrected her. "I want you away from it because Usagi doesn't look like she's about to start crying over it or naming it."

All three women leaned back against the wall and stared at the bed.

"Minau, what _happened_ while I was asleep?" Usagi asked in a stunned voice. "I don't understand…"

The other Princess opened her mouth, closed it, opened again, and closed again, all the while slowly shaking her head.

"I went to sleep," Minau whispered. "My heart…everything hurt _so much._ You put me on your bed, and you sat beside me until I asked you to please leave me for a little while. I just cried until I could not cry anymore, and then I went to sleep. You must have come back in while I was asleep. I woke up for a moment and you were lying beside me on the bed, and you were asleep, but you were speaking to yourself. I don't remember what you said. My head hurt very much. I think I must have gone to sleep once more, because I opened my eyes and you were standing by the bed."

"Standing?" Usagi repeated uncertainly. "Was I doing anything else?"

"You were speaking again," Minau said. "I could not understand you. You sounded like you were speaking to someone else, though, so I got up to see what you were doing. You had your back to the bed. I walked around you, and your eyes were open, but you did not see me. You had your hands at your sides. You did not move, really, except your lips. You frightened me, Serenity. I put my hands on your shoulders, because I thought if I shook you it might wake you up and then you would stop whispering like that.

"That was when…"

Minau fell silent, her eyes on Usagi's stomach.

"When what?" Ikuko prompted her.

"That was when all the blood started."

"But how did it start?" Usagi interrupted. "Was there someone else there? Did you see a woman with long black hair? Or did you…?"

_Or did you cut me?_

"There was you, and there was me, and I put my hands on your shoulders, and then there was blood all over your stomach and all over my dress. You did not move or make a sound. I'm sorry, Serenity, but for several seconds I did nothing. I didn't understand where it came from! Wounds do not just appear on someone's body, so since no one had cut you or me, it could not be coming from either of us, I thought. But your shirt was ripped and your clothes just got redder and redder. That was when I finally began to shake you, but it did not work. You would not wake up!"

Finally, those sweet eyes, as pink and pure as her planet, rose to meet Usagi's gaze.

"The white light came again. This time it was different. It knocked me back a little, but it did not hurt me. Then you just…fell backwards onto your bed. I went to try to see if I could help you, and your mother came through the door, and you opened your eyes."

Usagi let her head fall back against the wall and wrestled with her thoughts. There had been nothing, no sign of the Queen of the Earth, no one but herself and Minau in the room. But the wounds were real, the blood was real, and the _thing_ wrapped in the pillowcase on her bed was most certainly real.

"That was it?" Ikuko asked in a deceptively calm voice. "There was no one here to make those marks? Are you absolutely certain, Minau?"

Minau stepped away from the wall and stood directly in front of Usagi. Raising her hands, she dropped them onto the other girl's shoulders with only six inches between them. Usagi felt something hard pressed against her left shoulder, something Minau held in her right hand as she looked to Ikuko.

"No one could have stepped between us. It was only us."

"Only us," Usagi murmured. "My grandmother was silent."

Ikuko looked at her with startled eyes. "But the white light–"

"That was me, Mama. That was just me." Usagi frowned suddenly. "Just me. She was not there, in the mist. She did nothing to Mamo-chan, nothing to the Queen of the Earth. It was just us. And while I was bleeding, while that thing was inside me, she didn't help me. Neither did the Silver Imperium Crystal."

Stepping back, Minau answered her frown with anxious silver eyes. Usagi watched the other Princess's hands drop back to her sides blankly. Something was held in Minau's hand, something small and metal with glimpses of milky pink, and it captured her attention.

"Minau, what is that?"

"This? It's my Crystal."

She held up her right hand with a smile.

The Taraneh Crystal did not rest on the end of a wand or within a broach. It lay in the center of a delicate silver filigree ornament suspended on a silk cord. Usagi wondered for a moment where Minau wore it. The pink of the Crystal glimmered through the metal like little stars.

_Stars._

The room disappeared for a moment, and Usagi reeled in shock.

_She saw eternity._

_Something came to her, a star's song that sounded familiar._

_The star exploded in a flash of golden light and began to collapse in on herself._

_Slowly, slithering out of nothing to wrap around the star's glow, came tendrils of darkness._

_She put out her hand._

_There was a flash of pink, a song like the most perfect soprano, and a sharp pain in her palm._

_Two days later, she lifted her hand to show a tiny little cut in the center of her palm._

"Blessed Selenity!" Usagi gasped. "I started to tell them, that day, in the park. Minako guessed it. Hotaru guessed it! She even began to say Taraneh, and that boy came over, and I _forgot!_"

Both Ikuko and Minau gaped at her.

"That day in the park?" Ikuko repeated blankly.

"Taraneh? Why did she say Taraneh?" Minau demanded in a frantic voice. "What about Taraneh?"

Usagi held up her hand, the hand that had reached out in a dream to Inanna as the star died, the hand that had been pierced by a pink shard the same color as the Taraneh Crystal.

The same hand that had moved to touch her own wound as the blood rushed from her womb.

"You bitch," she breathed. "All of you! Queens and Kings, great men and women, children and chosen of the planets, and now you are nothing but foul leaches feeding off the life of everything around you!"

"Serenity?"

She raised her eyes to the frightened faces of Minau and her mother.

"Minau, where is your capsule?"

"My…my what?!?"

"Your capsule!" Usagi cried. "Your father put you in a capsule to send you here, didn't he? Where is it?"

"I don't know," Minau said, and she looked like she wanted to retreat before the intensity of Usagi's gaze. "I don't remember anything until I found you in the alleyway. I don't know how I got there."

"Usagi, what is this all about?" Ikuko interrupted.

"Minau didn't escape from the Abyss," Usagi told them both. "Inanna exploded and went out, and then she collapsed in, and then the Abyss was there. Ami says the pull of a black hole can't be escaped. Minau's capsule wouldn't have had time to get away, would it?"

"I did!" Minau shrieked. "I am not a part of the Abyss!"

"_Iie,_ of course not!" Usagi grasped her arm reassuringly. "You don't understand. It _let_ you go, Minau. It let your capsule get away. It had you, it must have had you, and it let you slip away."

"Why?"

Everyone looked down, and Ikuko shrieked.

"SHE TALKS!"

Luna's red eyes widened in dismay.

"Meow?"

"Mama, I _told_ you that Luna could talk," Usagi reminded her. "Luna, where have you been?"

"I was at Haruka and Michiru's, they sent me to see if you were here, never mind that, Usagi, what about the Abyss?!?"

"My mother told me the Abyss couldn't get out of its prison, and Ami said black holes just pull things in. The Abyss only got loose here when Inanna pushed her way out, remember?"

"_Hai,_" Luna said, nodding her head sharply.

"But what if," Usagi said, holding up a finger with the hand that was not still clutching Minau, "it…it touched Minau's capsule, and then let it get away."

"Why?" This time it was Luna, Minau, and Ikuko all.

"If a black hole can only pull things in, and we had to put things into the black hole in the alleyway for the Abyss to get out, maybe it never had a chance to…to send something out. But when Inanna exploded and Minau's capsule almost got away, maybe the Abyss let it go to use it!"

"That…doesn't make one bit of sense," Luna told her.

Usagi stomped her foot angrily. "I'm not Ami, I'm doing my best! When I dreamed about Inanna dying, I saw it again, just like it must have been when you were escaping, Minau. The Abyss wrapped around Inanna, and _then_ I saw your capsule, it must have been your capsule, get away!"

"I don't like this!" Minau wailed. "I don't like you saying the Abyss touched me! It didn't! I am a Senshi and a Princess and I am a _good girl_!"

"It didn't touch _you,_" Usagi argued, "it touched your capsule! In my dream, I reached out to Inanna, and to _you,_ and something cut my hand! Only when I woke up, it was still there! It's been there for days, but look!"

They all obediently looked at a palm smeared with blood but unmarred by any cuts.

"Alright," Ikuko said slowly, "so something cut your hand. What does that prove?"

"Something cut my palm that came off Minau's capsule!" Usagi cried. "_This_ hand! The one I put on my stomach when it was ripped open! She knew I would have to put my hand there, that's why she did it!"

"Who did what?" Luna wailed.

"The Queen of the Earth cut my stomach open! I put my hand on the cut, and then whatever cut my hand went into_ that _cut! Don't you see?!?"

"Uh-uh," they chorused.

Usagi groaned and pulled one pigtail in frustration.

"We need to find Minau's capsule," she said. "We'll know for sure if we find that. Where should we look?"

"I, well, I," Minau stuttered, "I have no idea. It must be somewhere close by, right? How do we find it?"

"Luna!"

The cat jumped in shock.

"_Nani?!?_"

"Go back to Haruka and Michiru's and talk to Ami-chan. There has to be something, some ripple or disturbance or whatever she sees on her computer, that can tell us where Minau landed, right?"

"Minau," Luna repeated. "Minau is this young lady, I take it. And she is _who_?"

"Oh, right!" Usagi cried, and looked to the girl beside her.

As she had to Ikuko, Minau took her skirt and dropped Luna a graceful curtsy. The effect was less charming with blood spattered across the diaphanous pink skirts and smudged across her golden skin, her hair tumbling down and stained dark red at the ends.

"I am Minau, Princess of Taraneh, daughter of King Cyrus and Queen Vashti, and heir to the system of Inanna." She faltered, and let her skirt fall from suddenly lifeless fingers. "At least, I was."

"_Inanna?!?_" Luna gasped. "But I don't understand. Inanna was…oh, never mind. Usagi, she needs to come with me back to the Outer Senshi's house. So do you. Setsuna and Galaxia have set about collecting the other Senshi of the galaxy, you need to be there!"

"I can't be there, Luna. I'm too dangerous right now, I told Mamo-chan all about that. He can explain everything. Just go back, right now, and tell everyone that I'm fine, and see if Ami can't find where Minau's capsule landed. Please?"

Luna gave a fatalistic wave of one paw. "Alright, fine. I still need to take Minau back with me, though. Princess Kakyuu and her Senshi are there, and we're waiting for more."

"You want me to go with you to meet Serenity's Senshi?" Minau asked. "And to meet another Princess with her Senshi, and perhaps more?"

"_Hai,_ we're planning the best way to hold off the Abyss should it break free. Your system was directly destroyed by the Abyss," Luna added, "you can tell us so much! What happened?"

Shaking her head wildly, Minau lunged to seize Usagi's arm. "I don't want to go there! A Princess with her Senshi, and your Senshi waiting for you, I can't go there, Serenity, please don't make me!"

Luna's red eyes widened in alarm. "But don't you want to meet the other Senshi?"

"No! No, _please_ don't send me there, all of them around me, I can't, Serenity, I can't!"

Ikuko spoke up quickly. "Luna, Minau will be staying with us. If you have questions for her you can come back here and ask them. She needs to…she needs to help Usagi find her capsule."

"But—"

"She stays, Luna," Usagi cut across in a sharp voice that surprised even her. "Please go back to the others and ask Ami what she can find. We need to know how that thing got inside of me, and if there are more of them."

"What thing?" Luna asked wearily.

In those few minutes of excitement, Usagi had forgotten the ugly little creature on her bed. Now she, Minau, and Ikuko looked towards it again. Luna turned to follow their gazes.

"Your pillowcase?"

Usagi ignored her and began across the room once again. Minau trailed behind her, but Luna and Ikuko stayed by the far wall. Together, the two Princesses looked down at the twisted, blackened fetus.

It lay there like a sleeping human baby, no longer moving. Usagi did not believe it could be dead, though. That would be too easy.

"Shouldn't it have eyes?" Minau whispered.

"It does. Look, see, those are eyelids. They're closed."

"If it's that small," Ikuko said from across the room, "I don't think it should have eyelids yet."

Usagi moved closer to squint at it. Perhaps she was wrong. One pigtail fell over her shoulder, and her hair brushed over the miniscule face.

Those black eyelids snapped open to show only empty, bloody sockets.

Minau screamed.

"What is it?!?" Ikuko cried out in alarm.

Usagi felt the wild power of her grandmother rearing up at the sight of eyes ripped away, just as they had been from the friends who had turned on her within the Abyss.

Then the Silver Imperium Crystal came to life, beating against her heart and no longer imprisoned by a cancerous being crawling in her womb.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a brilliant pink light beginning around Minau. The Taraneh Crystal, too, burned against the _wrongness_ of the thing on the bed.

A flash of light ignited the very air around them. Fire swept out from both Princesses, the immense power of two Crystals and her grandmother's Flame all colliding and uniting to strike down the little abomination lying there in the blankets. For a split second there was a scream like the voice that tormented Usagi with threats to her daughter.

_"Serenity!"_

Something stabbed through Usagi's heart, or perhaps it was through her grandmother's soul, and cried out with the loss she had heard in Minau's voice.

_"Gaia, how could you?"_

The Flame disappeared.

The fire of two Crystals flared as bright as any star, then faded quickly away.

Usagi took a stumbling step backwards and slightly to her left, until her shoulder collided with Minau's. Both leaned against each other as they gasped for air. Behind them, Usagi could hear Ikuko's frightened breathing and a quavering whimper from Luna.

"What was that? Oh, Usagi, what was it?" the cat moaned.

"Even the planets and stars recognize the Abyss as evil," Usagi explained softly. "And my grandmother…She has been trying so long to destroy them."

Taking a tight hold on Minau's hand, Usagi moved once more to the bed and looked down.

The power had not just scorched her bed. It had burned a hole straight through the mattress, and through the floor, through the couch below, and down to the living room floor.

Around the hole were black rays, like the negative image of a sun.

The pounding of feet drew four sets of female eyes around to the door. It burst open to show Kenji and Shingo's shocked face. Relief flooded Usagi to see neither was hurt.

Her father and brother looked slowly around her bed, taking in the appearance of an unfamiliar girl in a strange dress, blood everywhere, Usagi's lacerated stomach, and the utter destruction of part of the house.

"_Nani…_Ikuko?" Kenji breathed. "What happened here?"

"Sweetheart, I can explain everything."


	36. Chapter 36

_Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no point in suing…_

_A/N: Uh…hi. I'll try and answer all your reviews later. Sorry?_

_Re-Upload. Again. First time, I caught a mistake in here. Queen of the Moon's eyes are supposed to be blue. Sorry! Second time, realized a random piece of a draft for another chapter appeared at the bottom. Oops!  
_

Heaving a deep sigh, Hotaru tucked her legs up under her skirt and tipped to the right until her shoulder fell against Chibiusa's.

"I can't believe we're still sitting here."

The Princess of Crystal Tokyo jerked her slowly bobbing head up and rubbed scarlet eyes that had begun to glaze over. Her hand fell back down to land on top of the head of blue hair resting on her knees. Pallas groaned and draped her arm over her own face.

"I can't believe this hasn't moved forward _at all,_" Pallas muttered around her elbow. "How long have we been sitting on the entrance stairs to the Moon Palace?"

"Months," Juno said in a slightly strained voice.

Hotaru turned her head to look at her, and her eyebrows shot straight up. "You are so incredibly lucky we are not visible to the ancient Kings and Queens of the Silver Millennium."

"Why do you say—oh!" Chibiusa sat up completely. "Wow. Juno, should you be doing that?"

"They can't see me," responded the tall girl with her hands on the ground, her feet in their tall boots in the air, her short green Senshi skirt up around her ribs, and her green underwear showing. Juno took several steps forward on her hands, her green tails of hair trailing along behind her, then let her feet fall backwards onto the ground so that her back arched. In a truly impressive display of abdominal strength, she pulled herself upright and shook her hair back into place. Then she took a running start, threw both hands over her head, and launched herself into a cartwheel that turned into a series of flips that would have been more appropriate to an Olympic gym than the front of the Moon Palace.

"Juno," Ceres called after her in an annoyed voice, "could you please pretend to pay attention to the very reason we traveled back in time?"

In response, her sister spun on her toe, raised her arms once again, and began flipping back their way.

Ceres turned her eyes back to the scene being played out before the great double doors, merely muttering, "Vesta. Please."

The red head uncoiled the whip she had drawn forth some time ago from what Hotaru could only guess to be a subspace pocket, drew it back over her shoulder, then snapped it forward with a practiced flick of her wrist. Braided leather wrapped around Juno's waist as she came to the end of her tumbling routine, and before she had time to do more than glance at it in surprise, Vesta hauled back with all her strength, dragging Juno back to the other five girls.

"Oof!" Juno grunted as she slammed into the column Hotaru, Chibiusa, and Ceres were using for their backrest. Hotaru gave her a sympathetic grimace, but neither Ceres nor Vesta looked in the least apologetic.

"Was that really necessary?" Chibiusa asked around a yawn. "It seems a little over the top."

"So were the acrobatics," Ceres shot back testily. "And as for over the top, Juno, don't exaggerate. We have not been here for months. We've only been here a couple of hours."

"It feels like months," Pallas said, her arm still over her face. "_These_ are the great and powerful ancestors of the Silver Millennium?"

"_Hai,_ well, this is how history happens, my dears," Ceres said, gesturing towards the arguing Kings and Queens. "The stories just tend to gloss over the boring bits."

Juno snorted as she struggled to untwine the whip from her waist. "Then everyone else should be thrilled they get to miss the bickering and just get our report of what _isn't_ happening. Vesta, get this damn thing off me!"

"You're only making it worse," Vesta responded, crossing her arms and grinning. "Try turning the other way. Besides, what do we have to report? Pluto and Mars did the whole male my-planet's-bigger-than-your-planet bit, Venus came on to Mars like a tra—"

"Hey!" her sisters, Chibiusa, and Hotaru shouted together.

"—like a good-time girl," Vesta corrected herself, rolling her eyes, "Neptune's kind of a snob, nobody seems to know what Saturn's deal is, and the Queen of the White Moon doesn't play well with others."

"Well, yeah, but that was when there were just the six of them," Hotaru said. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Chibiusa's. "Then Mercury and Uranus showed up, and things got really noisy."

She heard a collective sigh come from the other girls, and felt Chibiusa's shoulder shift as her Princess nodded.

The arrival of the Queen of the White Moon on the scene had frozen the ancient Kings and Queens of Pluto, Mars, Venus, Neptune, and Saturn, and held them in a strange tableau for several agonizing moments, watched by the invisible Hotaru, Chibiusa, Ceres, Juno, Vesta, and Pallas.

Venus stood close to Pluto, the muscular arm not needed for a thick silver staff encircling her waist. While her right hand rested on his chest, her left hand was poised in the air above little Saturn's head, where it had ended as she jerked free of Saturn's grasp. Mars' gauntleted hand still lay against her hair and the back of her neck, just as he had gripped her warningly moments ago. His other hand held his bow of flames close to his body. He had twisted slightly as though to shield Neptune from the figure in the doorway. Neptune peered over his leather clad shoulder, her mirror pressed against her thigh while her free fingers gripped the back of Mars' coat. Saturn stood inches from Venus and Pluto, her hands little white stars against her twilight purple skirts, her face empty with lips firmly closed.

The Queen of the White Moon gazed back at them with her head held high and her face forbidding, without any of the wonderful warmth of her daughter or granddaughter.

Then Mars stepped away from Venus, but closer to the Moon, his coat held tightly for a moment more by Neptune. Frowning, she let him go and took a deep, uncertain breath. Mars held out his free hand beseechingly.

"My White Queen," he began softly, "my dear, _dear_ friend—"

"Do not, Mars," the Moon cut across him quickly. "I have told you before that I do not trust Mercury's plan. I will not allow it—"

"_You_ will not allow it?" Venus interrupted her in turn, her voice as soft but dangerous as a silk scarf wrapped tightly around an unwilling throat. "_You_ allow _nothing._ That Crystal does not give you the right to rule this solar system!"

"_It doesn't?_" six shocked Senshi from the future chorused.

The Moon drew herself up to her full height, her blue eyes searing into Venus's golden stare. "_I_ have been entrusted with the safety of the greatest power in this system, as well as _this_!" she snapped, pointing sharply to the flickering Crystal within the gold starburst-shaped charm. "I will _not allow_ these Crystals to be used in some foolish gamble!"

"This is not a gamble!" Venus shouted, making ancients and Senshi alike jump. Only The Queen of the Moon remained unmoved. "This is Mercury's greatest invention, an invention made with only the love of his family in his mind! How _dare_ you speak to us like this? We are not your subjects. _We_ hold the power of planets within our grasps! You have only this…this _Moon,_ this _barren_ little rock!"

The Queen of the Moon flinched, her face turning slightly away as though from the force of a slap. Blue eyes darkened with pain. Immediately, Venus took several steps until she could reach out and grasp the other Queen's hands.

"Blessed Sol, Serenity, I did not mean to say…" Venus shook her head, a tear trembling on her lashes. "That isn't what I meant. I only meant—"

"I know what you meant," the Moon whispered, and though her hands remained in Venus's, her voice was cold and sharp. "But remember this. This _barren_ little Moon is the only place that could be entrusted with either of these Crystals. Think hard on that, Venus, as you make your clever plans."

"Stop!" Mars ordered both women. "Just stop this fighting! It is not a question of who holds those Crystals, Serenity, it is a question of our safety. Yes, our plan would be much, much more likely to succeed with the power of both those Crystals. I won't pretend that is not a factor. But we can do this without you, and there is nothing you could do to stop us."

The smooth, icy mask began to crack under his challenge. The Queen of the Moon's chin trembled ever so slightly as she looked up into Mars' face, but her lips curved up into a soft, sad little smile.

"What if I beg you?"

"Oh, Serenity," Neptune whispered, shaking her head as she moved quickly past Mars. "Serenity, don't, please, don't look like that, little one."

Her long, tanned fingers barely touched one silken lock of silver hair when a wall of wind hit them all, snatching it away.

"Oh, what the—?" Vesta cried unhappily as she struggled to keep her red skirt down. "Who ordered the hurricane?"

"Curses and damnation!" Mars shouted over her. Through the black hair blowing in her eyes, Hotaru could see him staggering as the wind caught his heavy coat and twisted it around his legs.

The wind came rushing in from the planes of the Moon, and it carried a cold so sharp it seemed to have been snatched directly from the darkness of space. Hotaru stumbled sideways, buffeted by the wind, until she collided with Chibiusa. She quickly wrapped her arms around Chibiusa to keep them close and warm. Pallas threw herself into their huddle, ducking her head underneath Hotaru's chin. Something warm and firm hit them from the other side. Hotaru looked over her shoulder to see Juno had planted herself behind them to give them the support of her strong form. Ceres had already pushed herself under one of Juno's arm, and leaned against Chibiusa's back. Vesta slipped under the other arm and clung to Hotaru's waist.

"This had better be another arrival!" Juno shouted, her shivering shaking the entire group. "Since when do they have blizzards on the Moon?"

"Blizzards without snow!" Pallas squeaked. "Oh, this is not fun!"

"This is wind!" Hotaru cried in return. "It has to be Uranus!"

"But why is it so _cold?_" Chibiusa shrieked directly in Hotaru's ear.

Venus, clutching at the very little modesty provided by the two pieces of thin silk and gold cord across her chest, bowed her head against the wind, but she laughed as well. She did not seem to mind her hair flung into her face, or how high her skirt was inching on her thighs. Neptune and the Moon did not appear nearly so amused as they clutched their more substantial gowns to their forms.

"Damn him!" Neptune shouted, freeing one hand from her skirt to try and untangle the hair catching in the twists of her crown. "This is ridiculous!"

"It is a little over the top," Pluto agreed mildly. His armor stood the test of the wind and cold very well. Only his hair swirled and snapped around him. He did not fight with it, merely shutting his eyes and waiting patiently.

Hotaru wrapped one arm around Pallas' head so she could free a hand to seize some of her hair and drag it out of her eyes. She managed to look beyond Pluto to her own ancestor. Ancient Saturn stood very still, her over dress having been ripped open by the wind and billowing around her like an angry storm cloud. The wind threw her hair into her face as enthusiastically as with all her companions, but she merely tipped her head back and reached out one hand. Something spun out of the tempest and fell onto a little fingertip. She brought it close to her face, studied it silently, and smiled.

"What is that?" Hotaru wondered aloud.

"What is what?" all four of the sisters shouted back.

"That thing that Saturn is…uh, never mind," Hotaru groaned as cold droplets of water started to land on her nose and face.

Juno growled with annoyance into Hotaru's hair. "And it just keeps getting better."

"If you two are both _quite done_ announcing your presence," Mars suddenly shouted into the air, "_will you hurry up?_"

With a great roar, the wind drew back into the courtyard at the base of the stairs, twisting and tightening into a miniature tornado. With it went the rain, little drops falling from nothing to form a wet circle on the ground. Able to move once again, the six young women shuffled their huddle over to the very edge of the stairs and looked down in fascination as the rain stopped. For a moment there was only a shining ring of water when something pale and glittering appeared in the center, and began to grow.

"What is that, some kind of…vine?" Vesta murmured uncertainly.

Hotaru saw Ceres shaking her head from the corner of her eye. "_Iie,_ that isn't any kind of plant. But it does _look_ like one…"

The delicate little tendrils moved out in a perfect circle, and the ground beneath them shimmered like glass.

"It's frost," Hotaru gasped. "Ice! Water and frost and ice!"

A final line of frost ran around the outside, closing the circle. Then the ice cracked as the whirlwind began to sink down towards the ground. Hotaru's eyes flickered back and forth in a desperate attempt to watch both ancients emerge.

It was hardest to look away from the whirlwind, and she waited with the same eagerness as she had watched Neptune emerge. First came pale blond hair, the same color as Haruka's but cut differently, falling messily to brush Uranus' shoulders and tumble in his deep blue eyes. Dark eyebrows made a stark contrast on surprisingly pale skin. His slightly narrowed eyes swept over the other Kings and Queens, and his firm, stubborn mouth quirked up on one side. The angles of his face were sharp, but with a long nose and strong jaw there was nothing delicate about this man. A powerful neck and massive shoulders came next, followed by a chest more like a lion's than a man's. Silver armor covered his torso, made of one thick plate. A giant eagle had been worked into the metal in gold, with its wings outstretched across Uranus' chest and its claws clutching a deep blue crystal. Over top the armor he wore a coat of heavy dark blue fabric embroidered with more golden eagles swooping through clouds. The whirlwind sank lower, down over his powerful abdomen and hips, until the hands hanging at his sides were revealed. Large hands emerged from the wide cuffs of his coat, and one of those was tightly gripping the silver hilt of a sword. The curved blade shone brightly against the deep hue of his coat, which fell all the way to his ankles. White pants covered his legs, loose enough to hide the armor Hotaru felt sure he wore underneath. As proof, two heavy metal boots emerged from under the white pants.

Her eyes snapped back up to his face as he moved, inclining his head with a sardonic little smirk. "Good evening, my friends."

"Oh, sweet inferno of the Cosmos," Neptune moaned unhappily behind them, "he's in a _mood._"

"Whoa," Juno whispered, "Haruka-sama's ancestor is _hot!_"

"Ami-chan has nothing to be ashamed of," Chibiusa added in a startled voice.

Standing within the circle of broken ice, the King of Mercury appeared almost surprised to see the group at the top of the stairs gazing back at him. Hotaru studied him curiously, surprised at how very different and yet similar he and Ami were. His blue hair was much longer than his descendant's would be. It fell in a tumble of waves past his shoulders and down to his waist. Blue eyes shone keenly from behind the small spectacles perched on his long, thin nose. Those eyes were wide, almost childlike, but wise at the same time. A soft mouth smiled automatically, as though that was the shape it was most accustomed to. From his left ear hung a long earring of silver links and sapphires cut like drops of water. A pendant hung from a heavy chain around his neck, a soft blue stone orb in two strands of silver twisted together. Mercury was the first of the men to wear no armor. A simple, slim silver belt cinched a pleated tunic of dark blue velvet around his waist. Pants in a pale sky color fell loosely to a pair of heavy cerulean leather boots. He pulled absently at his earring with his left hand while his right held a small, shimmering disk of either glass or ice.

Mercury raised one hand in greeting, and called, "Hello, everyone."

Sweeping past the others, Venus moved to the very edge of the top stair and smiled a smile that made Hotaru's heart almost stop. The way her lips curved, the soft warmth in her eyes, the gentle flush of her cheeks…it was completely different from the smile she had given Mars, and Hotaru heard Kunzite's voice from what seemed eons ago, _"The truest womanly beauty is found in the eyes of a woman who knows she is loved as she should be, adored as she merits, worshipped as she deserves."_

If that were true, the Queen of Venus was the most beautiful woman perhaps in the cosmos…and that beauty was all for one of those two kings.

"Uh, whoa," Juno whispered. "Anybody else feel like Minako's been keeping something from us about what she thinks of Haruka-sama?"

"That's not _actually_ Minako," Hotaru reminded her automatically, "and that isn't really Haruka-papa."

"But they look so much like them!" Chibiusa muttered in astonished tones. "I mean, he's got the same eyes and the same smile, and the only thing different about her is the gold eyes."

Vesta bobbed her head back and forth, adding an unconvinced little sound. "Meh. I don't think Kunz-kun has anything to worry about."

"This is the ancient past," Hotaru added, "it has no bearing on—_What_ did you call Kunzite?"

With the wind and the rain gone, they no longer needed the collective huddle. Hotaru stepped out from under Juno's arm, turning to give Vesta an astonished look and receiving four in return. Pallas kept her eyes fixed with deep interest on the kings advancing up the stairs.

"Kunz-kun," Chibiusa replied for them all. "You know, like Neph-kun, Jade-kun, and Zoi-chan."

"How come Zoisite is a –chan?" Hotaru asked even as she knew the whole conversation was entirely pointless.

Ceres, Vesta, Juno, and Chibiusa frowned at one another, than gave identical shrugs. "He's Zoi-chan."

"Anyway," Ceres took over, "Hotaru's right, this has no effect on either Minako or Haruka, and that's not where we should be focusing."

Throughout the debate Hotaru had noticed vaguely Pallas's blue eyes growing steadily larger and rounder. The tiniest acrobat drew the full attention of the others when she asked softly, "Do you think it might have an effect on Mina-chan and _Ami_-chan?"

The other five turned slowly to follow her gaze, and their eyes became the same shape and size as hers.

"Okay," Ceres said in a slightly strained voice, "I don't think Ami and Minako ever need to know anything about…_that._"

Blue wrapped around gold like the sky cradling the sun gently in its arms. Both Venus's arms twined around Mercury's neck as their kiss deepened. His hands swept slowly up her back, trailing up the expanse of bare flesh from the small of her back all the way to her shoulders. One hand snuck up into her hair while the other crept back down. Venus arched into the caress, and Hotaru blinked several times to prove to herself she was not imagining things.

Venus had begun to glow with a soft golden light.

Taking the last step, Uranus merely glanced at them with a long suffering sigh. "This could take awhile. My fellow kings, you appear to be in excellent health. My queens, you look ravishing."

"I think we look a little closer to being ravished," Neptune snapped back. She tugged once more on the bodice of her gown in an attempt to return the graceful folds to their proper place. A lock of turquoise hair fell down in her eyes, but she merely puffed it away with an annoyed breath. "Thanks to you."

"Well, to make amends, please allow me to assist you."

Uranus raised a hand towards her bodice, and Neptune raised her mirror threateningly. "Don't touch me."

"Ah, well. My sweet White Queen, do you require assistance?"

"I do _not,_" the Queen of the White Moon hissed. As she was at that moment detangling the left pigtail from the right bun, this could not be said to be entirely true, but the look she shot Uranus should have lit his hair on fire. He took her at her word and merely bowed and smirked more.

He turned to the last of the queens and offered Saturn a thoroughly lecherous smile. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm scarred for life," Hotaru groaned, raising both hands to cover her eyes. "That is not me, and he is not Haruka-papa, but still…"

"You're going to want to keep your eyes covered," Vesta said over several scandalized gasps from the other girls. "He's just redoing the clasps on her overdress, but the way he's doing it is dirtier than if he were taking it off. Ow!"

"It doesn't help for her to hide her eyes," Ceres muttered fiercely, "if you tell her what she's trying to hide from."

"I didn't give details."

"I don't need details!" Hotaru cried. "No details, everyone, no details at all."

"Okay, well, she's redressed and he is…taking forever…no, he's done," Juno reported. "You're in the clear, Hotaru."

She spread her fingers and peeked uncertainly out, but Juno was indeed correct. Uranus merely stood behind Saturn, untangling her hair from her strange crown and watching Neptune and the Moon with a completely remorseless grin. Mars finally kicked his boots free of his heavy jacket, shot a glare at Uranus, and moved to assist with the untangling of silver pigtails. He had no help from Pluto, who was too busy struggling with his own curtain of hair and smirking at Venus and Mercury.

"We are here for a _discussion_ about the future of our _children,_" Mars growled at the entangled couple. "_Can you two please FOCUS?_"

"Mmm," Venus purred as her lips reluctantly parted from Mercury's, "but he is focused, my friends. The way he kisses…he puts every atom of his being into his kisses. And the way he makes love—"

"NO!"

The six young women from the future, the two other queens, and the two other kings all shouted out against the next bit of information Venus was about to unveil. Even Saturn put up a startled hand to ward off unwanted details. Though the Senshi's protests naturally went unheeded, Venus did cut her observation about Mercury's virility short, and simply contented herself with a wicked chuckle.

"Is there any chance you can keep her under some kind of control?" Mars demanded of Mercury, who looked startled.

"Why? What has she done?"

"_She?_" Mars snapped. "She is inviting me into her bed! Again!"

Mercury looked curiously at Venus, who gave him a glowing smile and a nod. Blue brows drew together as he turned back at Mars. "Did you accept the invitation?"

"No, of course not!"

"Why not?"

"Wh—why not?" Mars stuttered, his face dumbfounded. "I have no desire to sleep with her!"

Mercury shifted his spectacles further up his nose and regarded Mars with sheer fascination. "Really? No desire whatsoever?"

"That's what he says," Venus murmured very audibly against Mercury's ear, "but I think he is not entirely honest with himself, hm?"

"He is either not entirely honest," Mercury agreed, "or there is something very wrong with him. She is the most desirable woman in our system, and possibly the cosmos, you know. There is no shame in desiring her."

"Pluto was very honest about his desires for her," Neptune added helpfully, her lips twitching as Mars began to turn a shade of red that very nearly matched his leather armor.

Uranus raised his hand quickly. "If she offered _me_ a place in her bed, I'm afraid we would have to postpone this meeting for roughly, say, a week. There is something very wrong with Mars."

"And of course," Mars added with a slight sneer at Mercury, "_you_ are always at her beck and call."

"Certainly," Mercury said simply.

"But _I,_ Mercury, am a married man, and I love my wife!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mercury asked. "Does marriage mean you can no longer desire a woman on Mars? I am also married, I also love my wife, and I desire Venus very much."

Tiny red sparks were beginning to flare from Mars' bow as his hand tightened around it. "Mercury, she _is_ your wife!"

"Would it make you feel more comfortable desiring my wife if I told you I desired Myrna?" Mercury offered kindly.

"You…you what?"

"Ladies," Pluto said quickly, "Uranus, perhaps we should all step inside and allow Mercury and Mars a little time alone."

Venus, still wrapped around Mercury, ignored him and looked up into her husband's face with mild surprise. "You do?"

"She's very beautiful, and very strong, and she is truly talented with her bow," Mercury said. "Yes, she is desirable. I would not, of course, sleep with her, but I find her very pleasing visually and personally. She also has a lovely voice."

"That's true," Venus agreed thoughtfully. "Yes, my love, I can understand you desiring her. Carry on."

"Thank you."

"Do _not_ carry on desiring my wife!" Mars nearly roared. He turned sharply on Pluto and Uranus as flames erupted from his bow and began to lick at his armored arm. "Do either of you have any desire for my wife?"

Both men's eyes widened, and they shook their heads. Mars spun back around to confront Mercury again. Uranus and Pluto glanced at each other, grinned, and nodded at the same time.

"Mind bogglingly powerful," Ceres murmured under her breath, "ancient, bordering on all-knowing…and yet, always, thinking below the waist."

A flutter of turquoise silk caught everyone's eyes. Neptune slipped past Pluto and Saturn, threw Uranus a glare that he returned with a mocking grin, moved up beside Mars, turned to face him, folded her arms, and stared at the side of his head, hard. He glanced at her, then back at Mercury, opening his mouth for more recriminations. Neptune cleared her throat loudly. Mars shut his mouth with a snap and folded his arms across his chest even more tightly than Neptune and scowled straight ahead. She turned to hold out one imperious hand to Mercury. Startled to find himself the recipient of her displeasure, the other ancient's eyes widened. He quickly laid the shining disk in her hand. She inclined her head shortly in thanks, spun around on the heel of her sandal, and presented it to the Queen of the White Moon.

"What is this?" the Moon asked, her voice chilling once more. She untangled the last few folds of her white gown from her silver belt and drew herself up, and slightly away. A hush fell over the others, all watching her eyes studying the disk balanced on the tips of Neptune's fingers.

"This," Neptune said, "is the height of Mercury's genius. This is the safety of not just our system but all the systems. This is a galaxy without darkness. This is our children living without our fears."

The Queen of the Moon's lips twisted into something that held the shape of a smile, but could never be mistaken for one. "Your greatest fear cannot be trapped within any prison of Mercury's making, my friends."

Neptune held her eye without a quiver, but Hotaru saw Uranus, Mars, and Venus flick their eyes to the two crystals at her waist. Venus stiffened slightly, her mouth tightening with unhappiness. Mercury pulled her closer to run a soothing hand up and down her back.

"_Look_ at it," Neptune whispered. "Trust us just a little, Serenity. _Please_. For your daughter, for my daughter, for all our children, just look at it!"

Slowly, almost against her will, the Moon stretched out one hand towards the disk. Her fingers came within less than a breath, then froze. Blue eyes glanced quickly, frightened, to the Queen of Saturn. Hotaru looked towards her ancestress as well. The twilight dark eyes, the same size, shape, and color as her own, held no emotion. The Moon turned back to Neptune.

She took the silver disk.

Just for a moment, in violet eyes, there was a flash of fear.


	37. Chapter 37

_Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no point in suing…_

_A/N: THAT IS IT! There will never, ever be anymore original characters! Ever! I am sick of writing descriptions! From now on I'll give a gender, and maybe a hair color, and that's it! Sorry, I'm done now. Everyone say "Thank you, astra-kelly!" I laughed so hard on that review that it kicked me back into gear. I have to go do dishes right now before they grow legs and the ability to fight back, but the next chapter will be up either tonight or tomorrow. P.S. I re-uploaded the last chapter simply because I suddenly realized I gave the first Queen of the Moon silver eyes, and they should be blue. I blame them changing my meds.  
_

The Queen of the White Moon took the disk.

A soft tremor ran through the ground beneath them. Hotaru, Chibiusa, and the Quartet looked around with startled eyes. The ancient Kings and Queens turned their eyes down to the white marble trembling beneath them, then, as one, to the base of the stairs.

"_Ano_…what is this?" Pallas whispered. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

Something small flickered on the path of white sand. It disappeared with a pop. A moment later an arc of green sparks jumped into existence. Seven tiny bolts of lightning flashed out, then further, and then further still. The hair began to rise on Hotaru's arms and the back of her neck. As Juno leaned forward for a better look her arm brushed Vesta's, and both girls leapt away from each other as static snapped between them. The seven green bolts of lightning flashed once with a blinding light and a terrible crack of thunder that made Hotaru jerk her face away. Around her she heard her friends and their ancestors cry out in alarm, and against the darkness of her closed eyelids she saw an afterimage of a symbol, something almost like the Western numeral four but with a curl in one short arm.

"Jupiter," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes. "Mako-chan's ancestor is being awful _loud_."

"They're each getting a little more dramatic than the next, aren't they?" Ceres added in an annoyed huff.

"He's not alone," Chibiusa said softly. "Look."

Hotaru dropped her hands from her eyes to blink at the sparking green circle and saw what had arrested her friend's attention. Beside the lightning, a small blue dome had appeared, slowly rising from the ground. Filmy white shapes skittered across the surface while a light grew, then dimmed, then grew and dimmed again.

"It's almost like a heartbeat," Pallas noted curiously. "Not like a strobe, you know, on, off, on, off, but more like…bump-bump. Bump-bump."

It was true. Hotaru watched the dome as it came higher, the white floating through the blue. It reminded her of lying on her back beside Chibiusa in the park, talking and watching the clouds.

"Earth," she guessed softly.

"_Hai,_" Chibiusa breathed. "My other great-grandmother."

Just as Hotaru began to turn towards her Vesta gasped and pointed towards the circle of lightning.

Sparks jumped and arced continuously around the circle on the ground. A small bolt flickered off the ground into the center, then bounced sharply off the first few strands of hair. The ancient King of Jupiter wore his hair, cinnamon brown and thick as Makoto's, in a long braid down the center of his head. The sides had been cut to the shortest stubble, and then swirls and spirals in primal patterns were shaved down to dark golden brown skin. Sharp brows rose over deep green eyes, and for a moment Hotaru thought she saw lightning bolts within his black pupils. A wide mouth turned up in a smile that made his face, broader than any of the kings before him, somehow both wild and boyish. He turned his head to look up at the other Kings and Queens, allowing Hotaru a glimpse at a dark tattoo of a flower, something like a rose, along the side of his face, just below the ear. Monumental shoulders, with a breadth that made even Uranus look diminutive, emerged from the lightning. Green, bronze, and gold plates, shaped, Hotaru noticed with a smile, like oak leaves, overlapped across his shoulders and chest to form his armor. Bands of leather and brilliant green feathers strained to hold themselves together as they wrapped around mighty biceps. Tattoos ran up and down his otherwise bare arms, drawings of some kind of serpent with a feathered crest etched in gold and green ink. Slashes and burns marred rough, brown leather pants, and left scars across his bare feet.

"So, are we late?"

"Princess," Ceres whispered, pulling their attention back from Jupiter. "Oh, Chibiusa, look."

The blue and white completely emerged from the sands to hover for a moment beside Jupiter. It was not a globe, not like the world that all their descendents would one day call home, but oblong.

"It's an egg," Pallas said wonderingly. "But look, there, in the center. The light that's beating like a heart…it comes from her."

She was floating in the center of the egg, barely more than an outline curled into a fetal position. The light pulsed softly, dark giving way to double flares of light, over and over.

Chibiusa gasped, her hand suddenly flying to her chest.

"What is it?" Hotaru demanded, and for the first time she could jerk her eyes away from the arrival of one of the ancients.

Without speaking, Chibiusa took her hand and laid it under her own until Hotaru could feel her racing heart.

Thump-thump.

Two pulses of light.

Thump-thump.

Two pulses.

Chibiusa's heart beat in time to the light of Earth.

The egg broke.

Blue light poured out like a rush of water. The Queen of Earth uncurled and stretched within the last flickering remnants of her shell. Glorious black tresses swooped back gently from her face, held with the slim gold tiara, then tumbled unchecked down her shoulders and back. The tiara itself peaked in a sharp point directly in the center, then curved down and back up into two smaller peaks, and finally fell away behind her ears. Her black bangs fluttered around a face like a half-opened rose, a perfect oval of soft gold tinted with pink. Blue eyes shined out at them all, as blue as her planet. Once again it was uncanny to see so much of someone dear to them in the face of a woman none of them had ever seen before. The chin, the forehead, the way her bangs naturally swept to the right… Those striking eyes moved over all her fellow Kings and Queens, and she smiled with Mamoru's smile, and it lit up her eyes the same way Chibiusa's eyes sparkled. Her gown left her throat and shoulders bare. Thin bands of gold filigree held her fluttering blue sleeves to her upper arms, and let them fall all the way down over her wrists. Her flowing gown was made of the same blue silk, perfect and unbroken in the long, simple skirt. A bodice of gold filigree covered her chest and belly, worked into a spiral that tightened to a point directly over her navel. There, in the center but held by nothing, hovered a single gold crystal. She let her feet touch down on the surface of the Moon, giving them only a quick glimpse of shoes of the same gold filigree. Then her gown and hair settled around her, the egg faded away, and the Earth spoke softly.

"Hello, my dear friends."

"Shall we, Gaia?" Jupiter murmured, and he held out his hand to her. She smiled again, took the proffered hand, picked up the skirt of her gown with her free fingers, and together the two ancient powers ascended the stairs.

Hotaru, her memories of the Silver Millennium vague, still knew the simplest but most absolute law of that kingdom. Earth was forbidden. So she blinked bemused eyes as almost all the solar system moved forward with real affection to greet the Queen of Earth, Venus enfolding her in a warm embrace. Only the Queen of the White Moon held back, her blue eyes cold but wounded like shattered ice. Just as she began to withdraw into herself, the huge, leather clad form of Jupiter swept through all their companions to wrap his massive arms around her. In his enthusiasm he lifted her right off her feet, and as she grasped his neck she burst out with a wonderful trill of laughter.

"She sounds like Mama," Chibiusa whispered.

Hotaru nodded and smiled a little, and reminded her, "She sounds like you, too."

Mercury kissed Earth on the cheek as the Moon was deposited a little unsteadily back on her feet. Straightening her gown yet again, she held up the disk she had miraculously managed to keep in her fingers. It took a moment more for the greetings to end, but after the Queen of the Earth had delivered a resounding slap to the King of Uranus' cheek which caused him to remove an offending hand, all their attention moved directly to the disk in the Moon's hand.

"So that's it, hmm?" Jupiter said quietly. "The answer to a galaxy without darkness."

Earth frowned uncertainly at the shimmering disk. "All the problems in the cosmos can be solved with something that tiny?"

"Don't you trust Mercury?" the Moon asked in a voice of brittle, mocking surprise.

Blue eyes locked with blue eyes, and Earth shook her head. "You aren't the only one with reservations, Serenity. But the things we've seen…Chaos…Cruelty…We have already had to build barriers against outsiders. Pluto must maintain not only the Gates of Time, but also keep Nemesis at a safe distance."

"The darkness has taken so much. We will pull the darkness in to a pocket outside of space and time, put it away from all that we love," Mercury said softly. "We could reclaim Nemesis."

The Moon's eyes ticked down to the silver disk, and a small smile appeared on her lips. "Nemesis. Our littlest sister. You want her back? She is so angry…What if your clever little plan merely draws her into this place of darkness?"

"She deserved to be banished," Earth cut across sharply. "What she did, what she tried to do, Serenity, makes forgiveness impossible."

"You are harsh, Gaia," the Moon said quietly. "There is always room for forgiveness."

Earth's mouth tightened, and she shook her head. "Not for all crimes. Her little power play could have destroyed this entire system."

"If it is possible for Nemesis to be redeemed, she will be cleansed with _this,_" Mars broke in, pointing to the disk. "If she is drawn in…there was never anything we could do for her."

"So we now decide who is to be judged?" the Moon shot back.

"That is what being an Avatar to a planet means," Venus reminded her. "We speak for the planets of this system, and all our hearts hurt when Nemesis betrayed us, and we all ached when we locked the gates of Sol against her. But the Sun herself wanted her banished!"

"We don't know that! The Sun never speaks—"

"She would have stopped us if she were unhappy!"

"But…"

Ceres let out a slow sigh. "This could take awhile."

"They're only getting fired up," Juno agreed with a nod. "They're going to have to argue themselves out."

Chibiusa looked around, then backed up several steps to the nearest pillar. She put her back against it and slid down into a seated position. Hotaru and Ceres followed her example, dropping down on either side of her. Pallas drew closer to the arguing Kings and Queens with her eyes fixed curiously on the Queens' crowns, Juno stretched, her back making interesting popping noises, and Vesta tapped her fingers against her waist as she looked about for some form of mental stimulation.

An hour later there they remained, Ceres, Chibiusa, and Hotaru seated against the pillar, Pallas laying with her head in her Princess's lap, Juno caught in her sister's whip, and Vesta watching her with unholy amusement.

"Hey, something's happening!" Juno suddenly cried. She immediately had the attention of the others, all of them perking up with interest.

The silver disk that caused such dissention hovered in the center of all the Kings and Queens without any hand to hold it up. The four Senshi on the ground scrambled to their feet, Vesta snapped the whip from around Juno, and the entire group rushed to the ancestors of the system. They arrived just as a tiny green spark flew from one of Jupiter's fingers to the disk.

Flashing silver and green, the disk began to spin, faster and faster until it was nothing but a silver-green blur. An image, like a holograph, rose up into the air above it, some kind of moving model. Lines and arrows pointed this way and that, punctuated by strange symbols. As the model continued to grow, the arrows moved in a slow spiral that tightened towards the center.

"What is that?" Pallas asked softly.

"The Abyss," Hotaru said, her voice strangely hollow. She had been within that maw of darkness, and it had been within her, but never had she truly seen it. This was cold, technical, and impersonal, and it made her soul burn and her heart freeze.

"These must be numbers," Chibiusa guessed, gesturing to the strange symbols. "Equations. It's brilliant."

"It's insane," Hotaru shot back. "They claim to be wise, but they have no idea what they're about to create."

Yet as they looked up at the model all the Kings and Queens were nodding. Even the Queen of the Moon, studying the symbols critically, began to look much more comforted. She chewed her lip for a moment before she spoke.

"Perhaps…yes, yes, perhaps this might work," she said. "But we cannot do it so close to the Sun."

The others glanced at her in surprise.

"We have to," Mercury said, pointing to a string of symbols. "See? The Sun's light and energy is needed. Even we do not have the power to pull this off without solar energy."

"We have something better," the Moon whispered. She ran her fingers down her silver belt, grazing over the Silver Imperium Crystal to touch the golden star burst. "This will do as well, won't it?"

Nine sets of royal eyes blinked at her, then at each other.

"You are willing to use that again?" Neptune asked softly. "You said—"

"I will do it one more time," the Moon said. "That is the only way I will help. We must go out, beyond Pluto, beyond perhaps Nemesis. There is _always_ a chance that something could go wrong, and I will not risk our children. You must see that."

Everyone looked to Mercury, who nodded. "It will give at least as much power as the Sun. Probably more."

"So," Pluto murmured, "then, we are decided."

"Well, perhaps," the Moon murmured, "I think…"

"You think?" Earth stared at her in exasperated surprise. "Serenity, you just said you would do this!"

"I said perhaps it might work! But the risk—"

"Mama?"

They had all been so busy studying the model that no one had notice the figure appearing in the double doors of the Moon Palace. Now all eyes were drawn down at a tiny little girl, no more than five, with silver hair pulled into buns on her head and softly curling pigtails brushing her shoulders. She smiled, her blue eyes bright, and darted forward to wrap both arms around the Queen of the White Moon's legs.

"Serenity!" the Moon cried in surprise. "What are you doing out here, dearest?"

"The door was open," the little girl said simply. "I wanted to see why."

"Your Mama came out to speak to us all," Jupiter explained with his biggest smile. "We all came by to see how you are both doing."

Peaking shyly out around her Mama's skirt, Chibiusa's grandmother gave a tiny smile and said in a little voice, "Hello."

"Hello," they all chorused back with grins. Even though Saturn maintained her silence, she raised a hand and waved at the child.

The Moon smiled down on her daughter, hugging her tightly against her side. Then she nodded, and, without raising her eyes, said, "Yes, we are decided. How soon, Mercury?"

"As soon as we like," Mercury told them. "Tomorrow?"

"That's fine. Now come along, little Princess Serenity. You are not supposed to be out. You should be in the gardens, with our people, shouldn't you?"

The Queen of the White Moon lifted the girl up to settle her on her hip, and drifted back into the Moon Palace, with the Queen of Saturn close behind. She left the doors open behind her, but she made no move to welcome the others after her. Instead of following, they waited until she disappeared, then let out a collective sigh and turned back towards each other.

"That went better than expected," Jupiter noted. "But are we sure we should be allowing her to use that thing again?"

"The Flame will offer much more power than even Sol can," Mercury reiterated, nodding. "It would be in our favor."

Shaking her head, Earth said, "I don't trust it. And since she took control of it, I sometimes wonder if we should trust her."

"_You_ wonder this?" Uranus asked, startled. "You have always been closest to her, Gaia. If there is something we should know, now would be an excellent time to share it with us."

"She does not speak to me anymore," Earth whispered. "I barely remember what happened when she received the Flame. All I remember is a hand, and the way the fire reflected in her eyes. She hesitated, you know. She did not want it. She knew its power. But she took it, and she used it as she was ordered, and she kept it."

"Where did it even come from?" Neptune murmured. "She received the Flame, she received orders, but from where? From whom?"

"I don't remember," Earth admitted on a sigh. "But she used it against our littlest sister's attempt to rip away our powers. She locked the gates against outsiders, including Nemesis. _Now_ she regrets it."

"So why won't she give it up?" Mars wondered, propping his shoulder against the white marble wall beside the doors. "It frightens her, and she used it to hurt one of our own. But she clings to it."

Earth looked at them all with surprise. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" the other seven chorused.

"Our White Moon has not been _pure,_ precisely. She so desperately wanted a child. She never found a man whose seed could grow within the Moon."

"She must have found one somewhere," Venus pointed out. "That is generally where children come from."

"I don't think she did," Earth said. "I think she used the Flame one more time. You said she clung to it while giving birth. That Flame brought more life into the cosmos than ever I could create in my own soil."

"You think Serenity has no father?" Pluto gasped. "You think the Flame created her?"

"Blessed Sol, could she be so _insane_?" Neptune added. "What kind of child has she created? What kind of creatures will the line of the Moon become?"

"Hey!" Chibiusa shouted, affronted. "Stop calling us creatures!"

"They can't hear you, Chibiusa-chan," Hotaru reminded her softly.

"I don't care! We're not…we're not mutants or something! We're just like everyone else!"

"Except far more powerful, and almost immortal," Ceres reminded her softly. "This could explain that, too."

"She might not have had to turn to the Flame," Mercury stated suddenly, "if she were not barren. She revolves around you, Gaia. Could you have helped her?"

"She had already begun to draw away from me," Earth reminded them all. "She wanted no help from me. She wanted none of my sympathy. She had already begun to hate me, for what I could do, and she could not. Sometimes I think that is the only reason she turned to the Flame, for that one chance at a child."  
"You never told her that, perhaps, a son of Earth could help her?" Mercury continued with simple curiosity.

Earth laughed sadly. "She would not have wanted help from even one of my sons. No, Mercury, there will never be a child of the Earth and the Moon."

Slowly, Ceres, Vesta, Juno, Pallas, and Hotaru all turned to look at their Princess. She glanced at them all and shrugged. "Well, at this point it does seem very unlikely. How was she supposed to know?"

"True," they all agreed.

"So now what do we do?" Neptune asked suddenly, rubbing her eyes. "We have until tomorrow."

Mercury put out his hand. The disk fell out of the air to land in his palm. He slipped it into his tunic, saying, "Taking the Flame into consideration, I'm going to double check my math one more time. And then…my love, I think tonight would be a good night to have all the boys in for dinner."

"Yes, I think you're right," Venus agreed quietly. "And tomorrow, they could join us here at the Palace before we leave, couldn't they?"

"That would be a good choice," Mars added. "All of them here, so we know where they are, and what they're doing. You know, so they aren't getting into trouble while we're distracted."

"Of course," Earth said, her smile soft but understanding. She glanced towards the open double doors, and she made a hesitant movement, almost as if she would enter. Then she paused, and shook her head.

"I'm not welcome here anymore," she whispered. "How could someone who once loved me grow to hate me so much?"

Murmuring together, the ancient powers began to descend down the stairs, back to where they had arrived.

Chibiusa and her Senshi watched them, then looked at each other uncertainly.

"What in cosmos are we supposed to do for the night?" Vesta demanded angrily.

"Should we try to follow them?" Pallas asked, gesturing after the Kings and Queens.

"Forget them," Juno said with a big grin. "Follow me! Hotaru is finally going to get a look at the Moon Palace, and so are we!"

"Yea!" Pallas cried, rushing before them all into the Palace. Her voice drifted happily back. "It's so big!"

"Hurry up, before we lose her," Ceres sighed, but she was also smiling.

They quickly entered the Palace, all of them gazing around the first great corridor with wide, curious eyes. Giving an excited giggle, Hotaru turned back towards the doors. She wanted to see what they looked like from the other side. Instead, she gave a gasp of shock.

"_Nani?_" the other asked, turning her way.

They saw, though, and she did not have to answer.

Standing with her back against the wall, just out of sight from anyone outside the Palace, the Queen of Saturn cocked her head as she continued to listen to the other Kings and Queens as their voices faded away.


	38. Chapter 38

_Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no point in suing…_

_A/N: This chapter really should have followed the last one with Usagi and Minau, but…it didn't. Also, to make a little more sense of this, you might want to glance through Chapter 21 again. Just saying, it might help._

_The Photo Club Booth_

"Naru-chan, come on!"

Gurio Umino tugged at her hand, and Osaka Naru laughed and followed him obligingly. Her other hand clutched a small stuffed animal. The little cat would not have earned the affection of most other young women, but after watching Umino pour into the arcade machine enough yen to have bought them both lunch and battle with the controls for nearly an hour in an attempt to seize up the one she wanted, Naru cuddled the plush little creature to her chest with the utmost tenderness. She had already forgotten that she had actually wanted the dog beside it.

A small yellow booth caught her eye, and Naru pulled both herself and Umino to a rather sudden stop.

"_Nani?_ Naru-chan, you said you were hungry!"

"I am," she assured him, "but we need a picture of our family all together, don't you think?"

Umino maintained a grip on her hand, but his eyebrows rose over his thick glasses. "Our family?"

"_Hai._ You, and me, and little Umineko-chan!" she cried, holding the cat up. "I think he even has your eyes."

"Umineko?" He studied the animal closely for a moment, then shook his head. "It can't be named after me!"

"How can you say that about our baby?" Naru cried, her tone pained but her eyes dancing.

"Look at it! It's obviously a Nekonaru-chan!"

"_Iie!_ He's a healthy little boy!"

"With a pink collar?"

Both "parents" looked appraisingly at the cat and its adornment for a moment. Naru frowned uncertainly for a moment, then shrugged.

"Umineko-chan," she declared in a tone that brooked no more argument. "We'll just have to do something about that later. Now hush, and get in!"

Still grinning, Naru pressed Umino into the photo booth and followed him, pulling the curtain sharply closed behind them. They arranged themselves before the camera, Umino slightly behind Naru, his chin hooked on her shoulder, and Umineko-chan held by both up before the camera. The bright flash sent stars dazzling across Naru's vision, and earned a little groan from Umino.

With a click, a small picture appeared in the tray under the camera. Naru snatched it up and peered at it for a long, critical moment. Then she burst into a grin.

"We look so sweet together!" she cried.

"Let me see!" Umino demanded, snatching it from her hand. He ran anxious eyes over the picture for a moment, then frowned. "I don't like it."

Naru's heart fell. "Why not?"

"Because you look so pretty with Umineko-chan, and I look so…"

With his thumb, he blocked out his own face, leaving only Naru and the stuffed cat.

"There. _That's_ pretty."

Naru gazed up into his face, really looking at him for the first time in a long time. She had known him for many years and had never thought his face beautiful. He was not a prince, not a dream, not like…Nephrite. But he was sweet, and he was kind, and he knew all her favorite songs and sang them with her at karaoke even when other boys were there to make fun of him. He made her favorite meals, and bought her favorite cookies. He poured money into an arcade for the simple pleasure of being able to seize up a stuffed animal that would make her happy.

And he smiled that wide, wonderful smile at her every time.

"Umino…"

He looked up at her and saw her tiny frown.

"Naru…what is it?"

She lunged forward, threw both her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his. His hands seized her waist as he stumbled, trying to kiss her back and keep his balance at the same time. In the end her kiss won out, and he tumbled backwards against the photo booth wall.

Pressing closer into him, Naru closed her eyes and kissed him again and again. He felt warm, and he smelled wonderful, like books and sand and that sweet cake he always brought her. She had kissed one other man, but as Umino's glasses bumped against her cheek and his hands clutched at her clumsily but tenderly, she could not even remember that other man's face.

Naru pulled her lips from his, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "Umino…_aishiteru._"

"_REALLY?_"

She laughed and nodded against his cheek. "Really, Umino. Really, really, really."

Umino grasped her shoulder, pushing her slightly away so he could look into her face. His smile was twice as wide, and a hundred times more wonderful, than ever before. He put his free hand against the back of the booth to push himself upright again as he said, "Naru-chan, _aishiter—_oh!"

"_Ano,_" Naru muttered uncertainly, "I'm not sure what that means, Umino."

He pulled his hand around from behind his back and held it out between them. Naru gasped in surprise to see a small trail of blood across his palm. Seizing a tissue from her bag, she wiped it quickly away. Underneath was a small cut, barely there.

"It's nothing," Umino said quietly, dropping his hand back to his side. "Just a sliver."

"Good," Naru said with a sigh. She pushed the tissue into the small garbage can in the corner, then looked up at him with a smile, hoping he would finish what he had been about to say.

Instead, Umino looked slowly around the photo club booth, blinking and dazed. Closing his eyes, he lifted his hand to his forehead with a little groan.

"What's wrong?" Naru asked with alarm. "Umino?"

"I don't know…I feel…I think I can hear someone. Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Naru whispered, trying to draw his hand down from his forehead.

"It's like…whispering. Or is it wind?" Umino turned his head away from her and thrust back the curtain, as though he could find whatever he heard hiding there. But when the sun hit his face he fell back with a shout, his arm across his eyes.

"Umino!" Naru gasped, catching him before he fell out through the other curtain. "Easy! We need to get you home."

"Home," Umino echoed uncertainly. "_Hai._ I want to go home."

He lowered his arm and stepped gingerly out into the light. After a moment he smiled slightly.

"The light doesn't hurt at all."

"That's good," Naru murmured soothingly. "It must be a migraine headache. Come on. Oh, wait! Umineko-chan!"

She spun around and grabbed her little cat. She tucked him in her bag, took Umino by the hand, and began to lead him towards his house. His fingers twisted through hers, but he looked around with blank, uncertain eyes.

"Everything seems so…different. Like I'm seeing through someone else's eyes," she heard him whispering. "Or is someone else seeing through mine?"

.

.

.

_The Tree_

Ducking under one branch, Kobe Ruruna sighed and checked her watch again. She had nearly an hour before she needed to meet Naruru at the mall. The bag already in her hand was heavy with the _doujinshi_ she had bought only minutes before.

Smiling to herself, she dropped to the ground beneath the tree, drew out her book, and quickly opened it to enjoy the efforts of a like-minded, but more talented, fan.

"Ooh, Rangiku and Momo," she whispered with a grin.

Settling back against the tree, she put one hand down on a root, then jerked it back up with a gasp as pain flashed through her palm, up into her fingers, and down into her wrist.

As she glanced quickly down at her own hand, she saw only a tiny sliver of something dark in the center of her palm. Her brows rose in surprise even as her hand throbbed with pain. Ruruna tried to seize it between her thumb and forefinger of her other hand, but when she tugged at it the pain flared so high that she cried out.

The first soft hiss in her ear made her drop both hands into her lap. She looked uncertainly around her for the source of the sound.

"What is that?" she whispered to herself. "Is that wind?"

Ruruna leaned forward to peek out from under the low branches, putting her weight on the injured hand, but the hissing, or whispering, grew so loud that she did not even notice the sliver of darkness sinking deeper into her hand.

"Is someone there?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Who's there?"

Voices whispered, somewhere between her ears and behind her eyes, many of them, arguing with each other and pushing against her mind.

.

.

.

_The Alley_

Asanuma Ittou smiled at his aunt as they walked down the steps together, his young cousin leaping down two at a time in front of them.

"Be careful, Tohru," Aunt Keiko called after him with a sigh and a smile. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at her nephew, and gave him a playful frown. "Don't you laugh at me, Ittou."

"Never!" he reassured her, patting her on top of her red ponytail. "But I'm just happy to see you both happy. You seem so much…well, happier, these days. Did something change? Something with Uncle Yukio?"

"_Iie,_ that will never happen," she told him on a sigh. "But don't worry about us. Tohru and I are better together, and that's all I need. Are you sure you don't want to go to get pizza with us, Ittou?"

"I need to get home. I have homework," Ittou said apologetically. "But if you need me to watch Tohru again, just call me!"

"You," she said, giving him a one-armed hug around his shoulders, "are a wonderful big cousin, Ittou. _Arigatou._"

They came to the ground floor, and together they walked towards the door that Tohru had already run out. Ittou glanced at the door to their left, number four, as they passed. His aunt did too, but she looked quickly away.

"They've cleaned it up," she whispered, "all that blood where that poor girl killed herself, but still they can't get anyone to move in. I couldn't do it."

"It was so strange," Ittou added. "For just a little more than a week the city went crazy. Suicides, murders…"

Keiko cleared her throat and stepped quickly outside, into the sunshine. Ittou followed her, glad to see his little cousin had waited at the bottom of the outside stairs for them, even if he was doing so impatiently. Ittou hugged Keiko, offered Tohru a friendly high-five, and waved as the two turned in the opposite direction from where he was going.

Ittou only took a few steps before he heard something strange off to one side. He glanced, startled, into the alley beside the apartment building. He saw nothing, but he heard it again.

Something was crying in the alley.

He took several slow steps off the sidewalk. The light dimmed surprisingly in those few feet, making him squint as he listened. A slight movement to his right brought him down on one knee. He moved a box, and broke into a smile.

"Hey there, little guy," Ittou whispered. "What are you doing down there?"

A small dog whined pleadingly up at him, and as it tried to reach him he saw the tape from the box wrapped around one hind paw.

"Ah, poor puppy," he said, patting the animal gently on the head. "I've got you. Hang on."

It took only a moment to untangle the dog. It gave a grateful yip, wagging a little curled tail at him, then frisked several feet away, towards the mouth of the alley. A play bow in his direction invited him to follow the dog for fun.

Ittou laughed, and rose to follow. The laugh changed to a groan as a pain started in his knee, quickly climbing up his thigh and down his calf. He shook his pants, trying to dislodge whatever had found its way into his knee, but he stopped as the fabric snagged against the sharp object and twisted it in his skin.

"Damn it," he hissed. His fingers grazed over his knee when he heard a female chuckle, low and sultry. As he stood up quickly, looking around for the laughing woman, there came a snapping somewhere behind him, like static electricity. Ittou spun in a circle, and saw nothing and no one but himself and the small dog.

Only now the dog lay on its belly, peering up at him with frightened little eyes, its tail pulled close to its body. Ittou took a step towards it in concern. It leapt up and flew out of the alley, tail between its legs and leaving a thin trail of urine behind.

"Wait!" Ittou called out, but the soft whispers brought him to a halt.

Someone was muttering, and someone was crying, and someone was laughing, and a wind was blowing, and they sounded like they were just behind him, but as he looked over his shoulder yet again, he saw no one.

Pain crawled up past his leg, past his belly, towards his heart.


	39. Chapter 39

_Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them, will clean them and put them back where I found them._

_A/N: Doing better! It's been less than a year. This chapter was like pulling teeth from a chicken, but I really like how it reads, so I hope you guys do, too. Alright, yes, I have included Adonis/Kaitou Ace/Danburite. He is strictly from the Codename Sailor V manga. He was a foot soldier of Venus with an unrequited love for the Princess of his world. He served the Dark Kingdom in this lifetime, and Minako thought he was the one she was supposed to protect. Nope, she was actually remembering Serenity and the others. She thought he was her love, but they were not meant to be. However, there is a scene in Adonis's memories of Kunzite and Venus staring into each other's eyes…just saying. Anyway, he can tell someone their love fortune. Minako is remembering him right before he died in Sailor V. She actually kills him, but not intentionally. Translation for the Sailor V comic I used is at www dot anime-online dot com/minako_

Minako always loved sunrise over the ocean. The rising orb of their beloved mother sun spilled trails of vibrant pink and dazzling gold dancing together across the lightening water. The sight had always sent a thrill though her heart, and filled her with a strange, sweet longing. For thirteen years she had no idea why she felt this way.

Then one night, one terrible fight…

_"Finally meeting you, the lovely goddess of beauty and war…"_

Pale blond hair, but too short…Blue eyes…No, not right…

"_I knew then…If I changed one wheel of fate, the two of us might fall in love…"_

Adonis.

_This love isn't the real thing either._

A fire and burning pillars and fog had brought back a rush of memories. Magellan Castle, and a gold Senshi uniform, and three other Guardians, and a laughing Princess, and a Palace, and a war, and a tall figure, platinum hair, platinum eyes, and a smooth, hard pink stone.

"Minako! Are you listening to me?"

She spun away from her contemplation of the sea and the past to look up into those same platinum eyes.

"_Nani?_" she muttered, shaking her head. "Kunzite. _Gomen,_ what were you saying?"

He stood directly in front of her, his head cocked a little to one side and his brow furrowed. If she stretched out her hand just a few inches she could take his. Her fingers twitched, and started to move, but his head turned away at the sound of voices behind them. Minako let her hand fall, absently fingering the bracelet of pale pink beads on her left wrist.

"In the situation you're referring to, my greatest concern was revenge for a fallen comrade, and I had to plan my attack around that goal," Zoisite explained, linking his arm through Ami's but looking across both her and Jadeite to Rei. "Remember, by this point my enemy was familiar with all our powers and our general way of doing things. But if your enemy doesn't even realize who you are, they can't use your weaknesses against you!"

Kunzite muttered under his breath, "This sounds like a conversation that might actually have something to do with why we're wandering around on yet another beach."

Rei, her lips pursed in thought, dashed these hopes to the ground with her next words to Zoisite.

"That still doesn't explain why you were wearing a dress."

Closing his eyes with a pained wince, Kunzite whispered, "Never mind."

Minako could not help the tiny giggle that gurgled up, and for a short moment Kunzite cracked one eye open to give her a little smile.

"The element of surprise, woman!" Jadeite shot back admonishingly "Weren't you listening? You would certainly have looked askance at a man handing out pretty music boxes and playing piano in dark restaurants, but a pretty woman in a dress?"

"That was before we regained all our memories, so we were still a little naïve and easier to fool back then," Ami reminded them all in a fair-minded way.

"Alright, true, you did get onto boats and buses very easily," Jadeite admitted. "But I bet when you saw that girl in the pretty dress playing piano you never, even for a second, considered that it was Zoisite."

"That's true," Rei said. "You wear a dress very convincingly."

As Ami frowned over this statement, Zoisite turned impetuously to the raven-haired priestess. "So, while the music was making you dwell on your past, which you don't normally do, who was that blond guy?"

"_Ano,_" Jadeite muttered, raising one hand to scratch at his golden head, "that blond guy from Rei's memories, yeah, I wonder who that was?"

The hand in his hair turned into a finger pointing down at his own head while he looked thoughtfully off into the distance.

"Oh, yeah, you were definitely in there," Zoisite assured him, "but what about the guy with the gla—shin!"

He pitched forward, over the blue shoe that had become mysteriously embedded in his leg, and was only saved from landing face first in the sand by Ami's arm through his.

"Be careful, Zoisite," she admonished gently, but even from where she stood, Minako could see how hard Ami's fingers dug into Zoisite's arm.

Meanwhile, an amazingly oblivious Rei wrapped her arm around Jadeite's waist and tried to turn him away, closer to the water. He refused to be turned, but instead came to a sudden stop to look down on Zoisite with a politely raised eyebrow.

"_Nani?_" Jadeite said slowly, blue eyes narrowing. "The guy with the what?"

"_Nani?_" echoed both girls blankly.

"People, I am not stupid!"

Kunzite opened his mouth to argue, perhaps with the other two couples' topic of conversation or merely that Jadeite was, indeed, stupid. Before he could speak Minako seized him by the sleeve and propelled him in the other direction. Makoto and Nephrite could be spotted further down the beach poking through a pile of driftwood. When Nephrite slipped Makoto's hand shot out and seized his arm just below the elbow. He looked at her, laughter in his face, and said something that brought her into giggles as well. Michiru, Yaten, and Taiki appeared to be examining a boat house just beyond them, while Seiya and Haruka stood behind them, their search for the mysterious Minau's capsule abandoned in favor of glowering at each other.

"Nine Senshi," Kunzite mused quietly, "four Shitennou, one Captain of the Palace Guards, one Prince, three Princesses, two cats, one super computer, and a lot of parks and beaches…and we have absolutely nothing to show for it."

Five days ago, Luna had returned to Michiru and Haruka's house with a mouthful of a tale for them all. While the younger Senshi and Nephrite had not been there to witness the resulting pandemonium, Jadeite had described it to them in detail. A great deal of yelling had followed the announcement that the Tsukino house had been blown to kingdom come. Most of it, apparently, had been over who would ride in which car as the cavalry prepared to leap into action. Two voices had shouted them down. To the shock of everyone, Mamoru, an agonized look in his eye, backed Luna's announcement that they would not be charging over to Usagi's house. Another fight with Seiya appeared imminent, much to Haruka's delight, but Kakyuu had calmed the waters. Luna was finally able to finish Usagi's orders.

"Ami's sure of it," Minako told Kunzite, turning towards a large rock outcropping. She could see him following her from the corner of her eye, but his eyes drifted up and down the shoreline so rapidly she could not be sure he was listening to her. "She traced a series of falling meteorites to the south of Tokyo."

"That's not much information," Kunzite snapped.

"There isn't much to the south of Tokyo," Minako replied, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. "Ami's computer is better than anything that's been invented since the Silver Millennium, but meteorites are not the easiest thing to hunt for."

"A capsule that could hold a young woman should be large enough that someone would notice it falling from the sky," Kunzite shot back.

"Which is why we are at the beach yet again. The only way something that size falls to Earth without leaving a very large hole or a remnant is if it landed either on the shore or actually in the ocean. Ami doesn't think it was in the ocean because, well, Minau wasn't drowned."

"Assuming we can trust this Minau," Kunzite said.

Minako stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to him with her tight lips turning up into a smile that, hopefully, would hide her exasperation.

"Usagi trusts Minau. Minau is a Princess, and a lost, orphaned girl. We have no reason to doubt her," she reassured him. "Please, can we talk about something else?"

Kunzite ignored her politely stated plea, saying, "We have no reason to trust her. Her story is suspect, she has no memory of getting out of that pod, and she just _happens_ to find her way to the Princess of the system she lands in, which just _happens_ to be the system that her dead mother star managed to use to escape the Abyss that just _happens_ to have let Minau, also, escape."

Minako was too busy balancing the need to wring his neck for repeating, once more, his suspicions about Minau with the desire to beg him to never use the word "happens" again to truly register Zoisite racing by behind him, followed closely by an irate Rei.

Instead of acting on either of these very natural impulses, Minako tried counting to ten. She only got to three before her voice broke loose, saying, "Inanna's escape from the Abyss just _happens_ to have brought you and the others back to life after a very angry Beryl killed you…a lot. But I'm not following you around with a microscope, suspicious of every little thing you do, now am I? So, please, let's keep looking for the capsule."

Kunzite's eyes hardened to thick, impenetrable ice, and he walked by her to continue on to the rocks ahead of them. "Don't you think that perhaps, given your position as the leader of the Senshi and the lead guardian for your Princess, you should be a little more suspicious?"

"What, of you?"

"You would be remiss to not be suspicious of why four dead men have returned to life at just this moment, _hai._"

The sparks that quite possibly shot from her glare should have lit his mane of snowy white hair ablaze. She turned sharply on her heel to follow him. Her desperate battle with her temper got her count all the way to five this time before she spoke.

"I'm not even going there. As for Minau, I have every faith in my Princess, and if Usagi says she trusts Minau, I will follow her and trust her judgment. It is not my duty to disobey and second guess my Princess," Minako bit out, silently adding, _That would be Haruka's job._

"You might be willing to blindly leap into the Abyss," Kunzite snapped over his shoulder, "but I would like some kind of roadmap—"

"Roadmap?" Minako gasped. "_Roadmap?_ You want a…There is no roadmap, because no one has ever gone this way before! We are making this up as we go!"

"Which is dangerous."

"Which is our only option!"

Kunzite had taken two steps onto the rocks, but he looked back suddenly with a harsh glare.

"This isn't funny, Minako!" he hissed.

She came to a halt, both hands on her hips and her eyes as blazing as his were cold. "Do you hear me laughing?"

The glare turned into pure puzzlement. Kunzite studied her for a moment, almost as though he suspected her of mocking him. "I thought I did. _Gomen,_ I didn't mean to…_gomen._"

Immediately, Minako's voice softened, too. "I just wish you would—"

"Sh!" Kunzite held up one hand, and she broke off, affronted. "Don't you hear that?"

"Don't I hear wh—?" Minako stopped of her own accord this time, because she could, in fact, hear what bothered Kunzite so much.

Soft laughter drifted up into the salty sea air. Both Kunzite and Minako looked around uncertainly. They saw no one. Alarm lanced through Minako, her muscles automatically tightening, her ears pricking, and her pupils widening, ready for any attack. She took a step towards Kunzite, her hand poised over her pocket and her wand. He drew closer to her. She saw his hand brush the dagger hilt pressing into the small of his back.

"Will you help me, please?"

The woman's voice brought the hairs on the back of Minako's neck straight up even as she relaxed her stance. That soft voice, like some quiet melody played straight into the brain, did not sound at all threatening, but was instead filled with self-deprecating amusement. She and Kunzite stared blankly at each other. Another quick sweep of the area showed their companions far off and unaware of their situation, but Minako already knew it was not one of them. She had never heard any voice like this before.

"I'm afraid I'm down here," the voice called again, and Minako was aware of a strange inflection in the words, almost like an accent. "I'm in the water."

"_Nani?_" Minako gasped.

Together she and Kunzite scrambled to the top of the rock outcropping and looked down in shock. Just below them, up to her ribs in water, a beautiful young woman stood looking up at them. Sea water plastered her pale hair to her face, but only laughter filled the lovely gray eyes with the exotic tilt. She smiled and gave them a little shrug.

"I seem to have gotten a little mixed up," she explained. "Will you help me?"

"Oh!" Kunzite cried, shaking himself free of his shock. "Of course. Here, reach up your hand."

Minako knelt down beside him and, together, they reached down. The woman reached as high as she could, her slender form arching out of the water. Taller than Minako, Kunzite could stretch his hand lower, so the stranger caught his hand first. Minako chanced a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, and as the stranger's fingers brushed his skin she saw him jump, his fingers closing tightly around her wrist. Gritting her teeth against something hot in her chest, Minako snagged the lovely woman's other hand. A tiny shudder worked through her own arm as they connected, but she did not give it much thought. With the chill in the air and the cold of the water, the other woman was shivering slightly, and had merely passed some of it into Minako's hand.

It took very little effort to pull the stranger from the water. She weighed next to nothing. Then she sat between them on the rocks, murmuring her thanks as she wrung water from a deep blue skirt. Her two rescuers stared uncertainly at her for several seconds, then at each other. She merely twisted more moisture from her hair as she glanced idly towards the horizon. She observed the pink clouds and golden sky for several moments with only a tiny lift of one eyebrow.

"Rising in the _east…_how strange."

Minako and Kunzite looked at the sun hovering just above the waves, then back at her questioningly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Minako asked faintly. "Do you need medical attention? A hospital or…"

_Or has some asylum misplaced a patient?_

Another tinkling laugh burst forth from the stranger's lips, and she shook her head.

"I promise, I am perfectly sane," she assured them. "Truly."

"Well," Kunzite said slowly, then looked to Minako. She merely gave a helpless shrug. "Well, should we call someone for you?"

Her tiny, mysterious smile flirted with the corners of her mouth as she looked at them from under lowered eyelashes. Suddenly, she held out her hand to Minako and said, "You are very sweet. Thank you."

Minako put out her hand automatically while shaking her head. "_Iie,_ I'm not so very…Of course we're happy to help."

The smile took complete possession of her mouth, her fingers folding around Minako's and holding her hand in a surprisingly warm grasp, and the stranger whispered, "You truly are happy to help. Of course. It's our way."

"_Our_ way?" Kunzite echoed. "Miss, how did you even wind up floating in the ocean?"

"Miri."

"_Nani?_" the couple chorused blankly.

"My name is Miri."

"_Ano…_okay," Minako said. "That's very nice, I guess."

Finally releasing Minako's hand, Miri shook her head. "Perhaps I should have said I am Sailor Lejah, Soldier of Wisdom and Knowledge, Bearer of the Lejah Sailor Crystal, and Guardian of Absalom, Prince Regent of Geshur, and Tamar, Princess of Geshur."

After a long moment of silence, Kunzite nodded. "_Hai,_ that would have been helpful."

"Sailor Lejah, the Soldier of…wow, that's a mouthful," Minako muttered lamely.

"It is," she agreed. "I prefer Miri."

"You are very forthcoming with your titles," Kunzite said. "You know that she is…?"

"A Sailor Senshi," Miri finished for him, nodding ever so slightly. "And you…a Guardian as well. I know."

She said it so quietly, so simply, as her deep gray eyes moved slowly over Minako's face, and then Kunzite's. For one wild moment Minako's hand went to her forehead, afraid she would feel her planet symbol alive under her fingers. Her brow was smooth and bare. She felt foolish and shaken at the same time. There was something in Miri's gaze that left her feeling incredibly vulnerable, as though she were trapped in that moment of transformation when her clothing and her life as Aino Minako had been stripped away but the uniform and power of Sailor Venus had yet to come.

Kunzite did not flinch at Miri's gaze, which rested on his face much longer than it had on Minako's.

Becoming uncomfortable at the long silence, and the intensity with which Miri was studying Kunzite's handsome face, Minako said, "You still haven't explained how you got here."

"I would guess that Setsuna sent her," Kunzite muttered without breaking the locked stare. "Right?"

"Lady Setsuna told us of the Abyss, and your plan," Miri said. "So I came."

"I mean, how did you get into the ocean?" Minako asked a little too loudly, hoping her voice would jar them loose from their strange tableau. The other option, which she only considered for one fuming second, involved putting Miri back into the ocean.

She managed something, because suddenly Miri's head turned sharply back to her. Gray eyes widened in surprise, then turned suddenly compassionate.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries. It's not my place to interfere with these things, especially in your case."

Minako's anger subsided into a vague confusion. Before she could do more than blink, Miri pulled her feet, clad in simple sandals, up onto the rocks and stood. The Senshi and her Shitennou scrambled up beside her and watched as she looked curiously around the beach at the others.

"Lady Setsuna told me I would be staying with her sisters," Miri explained, looking towards the boat house. Following her gaze, Minako saw Haruka and Seiya staring back with mouths slightly agape. Michiru, Taiki, and Yaten had yet to notice. "Her sisters were here. So I came here."

"But…Setsuna wouldn't have sent you _here._ How would she have known we would be here, on this beach, right now? We didn't even know until yesterday we would be coming here."

"She did not send me to the ocean," Miri said. "She sent me to her sisters. They are here at the ocean, so that is where I came."

"But how…nevermind," Minako suddenly announced, shaking her head. "Forget that for now. Why don't we get off this rock, and maybe get you into something a little warmer?"

"And answer some questions," Kunzite added. "We attracted the attention of the others."

That was putting it mildly. By the time they clamored to the bottom of the rocks, the rest of the party had already lined up before them. The looks of bewilderment were so pronounced that Minako could almost see question marks floating over their heads. She automatically took the helping hand offered by Yaten, allowing the other Senshi to partially catch her as she leapt down. Yaten's other hand quickly grasped her waist to steady her when her foot slipped in the sand. Minako gave her an apologetic grimace, then glanced swiftly over her shoulder. Kunzite was too busy watching his footing, and Miri's, to notice.

Miri made it down safely without his assistance. Her sandals never slipped once. Several hands reached out to help her to safety at the bottom. She ignored all the men, and Haruka, and only accepted Michiru's delicate hand. Graceful as she was, she did not need help anyway.

Jadeite turned to his leader and held out both arms. "Jump, Kunzite! I'll catch you!"

Kunzite jumped down and landed easily beside him, straightened, and applied his open palm strongly to the back of Jadeite's head.

"Ow!" Jadeite groaned. "Next time you can plummet to your death for all I care."

"Aw, poor Jadeite," Rei crooned. She leaned against his shoulder while rubbing his head gently. "Need me to kiss it better?"

"Oh, so your willingness to bestow kisses upon a man is not directly related to his eyewear, or lack thereof?" Jadeite asked with a little too much innocent curiosity. "So it's merely the sun glinting off a set of golden curls that sends a thrill through you?"

"_Nani?_" Nephrite muttered. "Eyewear? Is he talking about the mask? Rei wouldn't kiss Mamoru's head, would she? And where does blond hair come in?"

Makoto ignored him to throw accusing stares at Ami and Minako. She hissed softly, "Who told him about Kaidou?"

Together, they quickly pointed at Zoisite.

"How is this about Zoisite?" Nephrite continued, his voice ever more bewildered. "Zoisite doesn't wear a mask."

"He didn't mean the mask," Ami said, "he meant _glasses._"

"Zoisite doesn't wear glasses either! And Rei's definitely not going around kissing his head."

"I don't care what Zoisite wears on his head," Rei snapped, "but if I _ever_ catch you eavesdropping on my thoughts again, I'll string you up, pretty little dress and all!"

Nephrite held up his hands to signal for a break in hostilities. "Rei, I've known Zoisite a long time, longer than any of you ladies, and there are three things I am very sure he does not wear: masks, glasses, or dresses."

As Rei lost interest in him and turned back to Jadeite, Zoisite gave a weak laugh. "Funny story, man. See, I had this idea where I would use music boxes to—"

"I don't care whether or not Zoisite goes in drag!" Jadeite yelled over him. After a moment of thought, he turned to his fellow Shitennou, who was looking a little hurt, and added, "But I appreciate the sacrifice on my behalf."

"You're welcome."

"There is just one thing I need to hear from Rei," Jadeite continued, "and that is—"

"Oh, for the love of Sol, Jadeite, I am not going to get into a discussion with you over which one of you has more gold in their hair!" Rei snapped.

A swift glance around showed Haruka, Michiru, and the Starlights all looking highly confused. Just behind her, Minako heard a scraping sound she knew well, and it always concerned her. If Kunzite kept grinding his teeth that way, she feared he would one day break his own jaw. And Miri…

Miri just watched the madness with a delighted smile that made her suddenly so much more a girl, and a little less an aloof Sailor Soldier. As though she heard Minako's thought, she turned and her gray eyes caught blue. Minako found herself grinning back.

"_Minna,_" Kunzite's voice suddenly rang out in deceptively dulcet tones, "this conversation has fallen vastly into—"

"—into the realm of Not Important," Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite chorused together with an amazing synchronized eye-roll. "We know."

Silence reigned for a moment, then Haruka cleared her throat and turned with a friendly smile to Miri.

"So, what the hell happened to you?"

"Haruka," Michiru moaned, closing her eyes. "Please, love, a little more decorum."

"Oh, please don't mind that," Miri pleaded. "I like that. So simple. Forthright. It's nice. The court of Geshur is…not forthright."

"Pardon?" Nephrite murmured. "The court of…"

"Geshur. My home system."

"When you say your home system," Zoisite began, "are you saying that you are a…you know what? Well, I mean, like the other girls here? Only, you know, from a different…a different branch of the same family, shall we say?"

The longer he spoke, the higher Miri's left eyebrow rose. Finally she took pity on him and broke across his babble with her soft voice.

"I am a Sailor Senshi," she told them all. "Only one of us could be spared, and I volunteered. Absalom, our Prince, is not in a position to leave Geshur, and the others must stay with him."

"You mentioned a Princess," Kunzite said. "Could she not have come with you?"

"Princess Tamar is six-years-old," Miri said. "It is not possible for her to leave Geshur, either."

"Six-years-old?" Seiya gasped. "Sweet Cosmos, how did that happen?"

"Well," Jadeite perked up, "I'd say roughly seven years ago, a mommy and a daddy loved each other very much, and then one night…actually, it doesn't have to be night. It could be night, day, morning, afternoon—"

"Or one brief, shining, glorious night in your life," Rei murmured sweetly, "that might. Never. Ever. Happen. _Again._"

Jadeite's jaw snapped shut.

"I understand how a child can be six," Seiya hissed, her glare at Jadeite only marred with a tiny smirk, "but isn't there a…a Queen? Or even a King?"

"Queen Yovela is no longer with us," Miri said simply. "I seem to be in the company of more than just Lady Setsuna's sister Senshi. Why have we all gathered on this beach?"

Seiya did not look particularly pleased with Miri's dismissive tone, but Michiru spoke up before she could. As briefly as she could she explained the situation of Minau and her missing capsule. Meanwhile, Minako nodded her head slightly to catch the others' attention. As unobtrusively as possible, the crowd shifted to the side a little and put their heads together.

"But why is she wet?" Haruka murmured, shaking her head.

"She teleported into the ocean by accident," Minako said. "Focus, Haruka. Ami, any sign of anything even remotely resembling an alien capsule?"

"_Iie, minna._ Another dead end," Ami sighed. "Minau could not have walked this far to Tokyo anyway, if we're honest with ourselves. I just…I don't know where else to even look! _Someone_ should have seen _something!_"

"Well, we may not have found a capsule or an answer," Zoisite said, "but we did find another Senshi, and that's always a gain. So, go team."

"A few weeks ago, that would have been a little more exciting," Nephrite said, rubbing a hand over his face, "but now that's kind of secondary."

"Has anyone considered the possibility that Princess Minau did not, in fact, crash her capsule to Earth?" Taiki asked.

Minako put a hand briefly over her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "_Hai,_ the possibility that she is not what she seems has, _occasionally,_ come up, but we have no reason to think—"

"I wasn't thinking the Princess was lying," Taiki cut through, "but that perhaps it did not crash. Who says it did not simply land?"

"Then where is it?" Kunzite demanded.

"You are speaking of a craft from a civilization that could obviously perform long-distance space travel. Could they not also install a cloaking device?"

"That's a thought," Ami agreed slowly. "But the meteorites…they lead to here!"

"Perhaps they were dislodged from this craft. Maybe you're following the line the wrong way, Ami."

Everyone looked quickly around in surprise. Michiru had obviously finished her explanation, for Miri had turned her attention to the discussion happening several feet away. A tiny frown furrowed the flesh of her brow as she glanced up at the sky, then around to Ami and Zoisite. The others followed her gaze to their favorite genius couple, who looked at each other and groaned.

"In other words," Ami said, "where we should be looking is…in Tokyo."

A louder, collective groan arose from the rest of the team. A lot of possible sleep had been wasted in trying to find a time between school and monitoring Tokyo for trouble to search for a capsule that might, in fact, be stationed somewhere in their very backyards.

"Oh, that's just great," Jadeite growled. "Okay, everyone back in the cars."

It had taken three cars to get thirteen people to the beach, and it would be interesting to see the reaction of Kakyuu and Fubuki, who had been allowed to sleep in, when they returned with fourteen.

"_Gomen, minna._" Ami muttered as they all turned back the way they had come over an hour before. "I should have thought of that."

"We could have still been in bed. Sleeping…not sleeping," Haruka whispered with a sideways smile at Michiru. Her partner pretended not to hear, but Minako saw the tiny answering uplift to the corners of her mouth.

Kunzite fell into step beside her, so close that his arm almost brushed against hers as they walked. Around her the other Senshi and Shitennou touched, a hand in a hand or an arm about the waist. But the man beside her watched Miri with unreadable eyes, and his hand always stayed just a breath beyond her own.

She could so easily close the distance. Her hand twitched towards his.

_"I'll tell your final love fortune."_

An image of a card being thrown into her face caused her to flinch away.

The ace of hearts had shredded before her eyes, and Adonis had smiled without a shred of cruelty.

_"You should look happier. Now you can go on living, without having to torment yourself over the ultimate choice, your love or your duty."_

They reached the cars. The Shitennou looked politely away as the girls formed a solid circle around Miri. Minako and Rei helped strip her from her wet gown. Ami produced a blanket from the trunk of her mother's car to briskly dry her, and Haruka found a long coat underneath her back seat. It barely made it halfway down Miri's thighs and gave the world a great deal of long leg to stare at, but as she was immediately hustled into the car the Starlights had rented the impressive sight went to waste.

The Starlights and Rei joined her. Nephrite and Makoto leapt into the back seat of Haruka's sports car. Ami took the wheel of her mother's car with Zoisite in the passenger's seat. A moping Jadeite slid in behind Zoisite, glancing longingly at the car Rei had disappeared into. Assuming that the boys would need a barrier for any kind of harmony on the ride home, Minako chose the center of the back seat, with Jadeite on her right and Kunzite on her left.

Kunzite's denim clad leg pressed tightly against her knee, just where her skirt ended, and she could feel his warmth against her flesh, and she stared at his hand resting on his own knee and wanted so much to take it in her own.

_"…your final love…"_

"So are we going to second guess this new Senshi as much as we are Minau?" Jadeite asked conversationally, turning in his seat to look at Kunzite. But as his eyes started to slide over Minako's face towards his leader they seemed to snag on something in her expression. His eyes paused, his brows rose, and his face softened to an expression best known by Rei.

Kunzite instead stared out the window as he answered. "She was sent by Setsuna. We knew Setsuna would be sending people, and she has answers for herself, even if her teleportation skills are a little off. Unless she proves herself a burden, we should accept what help she can give us."

Jadeite barely reacted to his words. Minako felt his eyes on her as she stared straight forward out the windshield, both hands clenched tightly together in her lap. Then he looked towards Kunzite, and back at her, and she could almost hear the wheels in his head turning.

_"Your fate is to continue fighting."_

She cleared her throat softly, then said, "So instead of worrying about Miri, we should be focused on where a cloaked capsule could hide itself in Tokyo. It's still a very busy city, and something that size would get tripped over even if it were invisible."

"That's a good point," Kunzite said. He pulled his eyes away from the window and finally looked at her.

She did not look back, but nodded as Ami began muttering about mathematics and computers that meant absolutely nothing to her.

Jadeite shifted next to her. He looked again at Kunzite, then at Minako, and she could feel his tension and uncertainty. So he did the only thing he knew to relieve tension.

He opened his mouth, but spoke without laughter or irony, merely saying, "Minako…

Perhaps he meant it only for her ear, but in an enclosed car, everyone else heard him as well. Ami and Zoisite both looked up into the review mirror to see what had drawn such a soft voice from him. Kunzite leaned around her with a slightly surprised expression.

Jadeite looked at them all, his mouth working without sound, then blurted out, "Where's your bracelet?"

She looked down at her arm. "Oh! I don't know."

"It must have come off when Miri grabbed your hand," Kunzite said, and his voice was suddenly softer as well. "Should we go back for it?"

"_Iie,_ it barely cost anything, I just liked it because…it was pretty," she finished lamely. "It's not anything special."

Ami raised her eyebrows at her in the mirror. It obviously surprised her that Minako would leave behind the pink beads that she had sworn looked like kunzite. But when Minako looked away she did not push the subject.

_"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."_

"Mina?"

Kunzite's voice was so soft, and his warmth reached her through even the barrier of clothes, and to hell with whatever reason Inanna's escape had changed one wheel of fate. He, the man Adonis had envied most, sat beside her once again. Her destiny had changed.

But her fingers only knotted with themselves in her lap as she feared to hope.

_This love is real. I know it. I know…_


	40. Chapter 40

_Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them, will clean them and put them back where I found them._

_A/N: Only a little more than a month! Hooyah! Feeling inordinately proud of myself right now. Sorry. Thankyouthankyouthankyou to anyone who is staying the course with me, I don't deserve it but I love you guys anyway!_

"So…that was an interesting development," Haruka announced to her passengers. They had passed several miles in silence, each wrapped in their own contemplations, but she felt it was time to bring them back to Earth. "Thoughts, anyone?"

"I wonder what her Sailor uniform looks like," Makoto mused. "It's probably blue, but the Starlights' uniforms look _nothing_ like ours, so it could look like anything."

"What _do_ the Starlights' uniforms look like?" Nephrite asked.

Michiru glanced over her shoulder at both of them, her mouth pursed in a prim frown. "Inappropriate."

"Jadeite would love them," Makoto added.

Nephrite shook his head. "That is not necessarily a mark in their favor."

"I was hoping for more thoughts on Miri herself, not her uniform, per se," Haruka amended. "She's the first really _new_ Senshi we've met since our not so great introductions to the idiots in the car ahead of us."

"I assume you aren't including Rei in that," Makoto muttered, but Haruka caught her smile in the rearview mirror. "It's easier than with the Starlights. She's not hiding who she is from us."

"Her comfort level is definitely high around people she's never met before," Nephrite agreed. "She whipped that dress off pretty fast."

"That is also not really where this conversation was supposed to be heading," Haruka said. She glanced over at Michiru, who had turned her eyes out the passenger side window, then looked up into the mirror to catch Nephrite's eye. She grinned and gave him a tiny nod, which he answered with a slight wink. Haruka bit back a laugh. "Anything else cross anyone's mind?"

"She listens," Michiru murmured, her face still turned away.

Haruka frowned slightly. "Michiru, love? What do you mean?"

Wide, startled aquamarine eyes met hers as Michiru whipped her head back around. "_Nani?_ Oh, of course, I, uh, I mean that she listened when Setsuna told her where to go and who she was going to meet. She has a remarkable memory."

"And a lousy sense of direction, if she managed to teleport herself into the ocean," Makoto said with a little laugh. "But maybe she doesn't trust us as much as she pretends to."

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked.

"She didn't want to talk about her Queen, did she?"

"She said her Queen was dead," Nephrite reminded them all. "If she had a daughter who is only six, well, it might have been very recently. Maybe it still hurts too much to talk about. Even after several millennia and a whole other lifetime, it's still hard to talk about…before."

"That could be," Michiru said.

"Well, she's still not the greatest ambassador," Makoto said. "She doesn't want to talk about her Princess, or her King, and all she said was that this Prince is in no position to leave. What does that mean?"

"A Prince and a Princess at the same time? And a King, who was married to a Queen who would have held the Crystal but is now dead, so who knows what his place is?" Nephrite shot back, though gently. "That sounds like a mess I wouldn't want to be caught in."

"True," Michiru said.

"I wonder why she drew the short straw," Haruka added. "Well, we've only had a few moments to talk to her, and she's already been useful, so I'm thinking this is more good than bad."

"Probably," Michiru said.

Even without looking in the mirror, Haruka could guess that Nephrite and Makoto were staring at Michiru with the same perplexity that she felt. She could not stare, as her passengers would probably appreciate her eyes to remain on the road, but she frowned and shot an uncertain glance at her partner. Michiru had returned her gaze to the scenery flickering by her window, and showed no sign that she noticed the conversation had ceased.

"So, when we get home," Haruka continued, her voice a little louder, "we can lend her some of Setsuna's clothing. She's about that tall, with the same little waist, and roughly the same size of full, supple breasts."

"_Hai,_" Michiru said.

"And, you know, she's probably very cold after her impromptu swim, so I think I'll put her straight into a nice, _hot_ shower."

"Of course," Michiru said.

"And I'm going to wash her back for her. Maybe the front, too."

"_Hai,_" Michiru said again. "Haruka, love, I'm just wondering, do you remember an incident a few months ago involving a knife and the utter destruction of our house?"

Haruka only laughed, and moved one hand from the steering wheel to squeeze Michiru's thigh. "Just making sure you were still with us, sweetie."

"Next time," Makoto added from the back seat, "please answer her a little quicker. That was slightly uncomfortable for those of us who aren't you two."

Michiru finally turned back towards the others, a smile and a slight blush springing onto her face. "_Gomen,_ Mako-chan."

"I think we're going to have to wait to actually talk to her again before we can make any more judgments on Miri," Nephrite said with a shake of his head. "We'll have to see who she turns out to be."

"Well, it's still a bit of a drive to Tokyo," Haruka said, "so here's a question that maybe one of us can answer: Who the hell is Kaidou?"

Makoto laughed. "Oh, boy. Everyone knows who Rei's father is, right?"

By the time the sports car pulled up in front of the Outer Senshi's house, Haruka, Michiru, and Nephrite knew much more than they had before about Rei's childhood and the lengths Zoisite would go to for revenge. The other two cars slid into place behind them. All fourteen passengers unloaded as Haruka, Michiru, and Nephrite gave Zoisite uncertain sideways glances that he answered with a questioning frown.

"Mako-chan," Ami said softly, "you didn't say anything about—"

"They asked, and what they would have come up with themselves if I hadn't answered would have been much worse, and you know it!"

"Let's get Miri inside," Michiru said swiftly, "and dressed. Haruka thought you might like a shower, as well."

She put her hand on Miri's arm and led her up the shallow steps of the porch. The new visitor smiled and opened her mouth to reply. But just as Michiru turned the knob and began to open the door Miri's eyes widened, and she turned her head quickly away from the door, her eyes sweeping the front of the house.

"Miri?" Rei queried in some surprise. "What is it?"

"What pretty flowers!" Miri cried, pointing down.

All eyes followed her finger. Amongst other things, with the destruction of their former house Michiru had lost the garden she had spent innumerable hours perfecting. Within hours of taking formal possession of the new house Michiru had taken Hotaru to the nearest greenhouse, and had returned with an impressive amount of flora. Yet from all the varieties of plants dotting the yard, a long, thin stem of simple white flowers rising from the center of dark green leaves caught Miri's attention.

"Oh," Michiru said in some surprise. "_Arigatou._"

"What is that plant called?" Miri asked. "I like that plant. It's lovely."

"It's a, um, a hosta," Makoto said from the center of the group. "That one in particular is called Geisha."

"Geisha," Miri repeated with a smile. "And that's a pretty name."

"We'll explain what a geisha is later," Haruka promised her with a tiny laugh. "You must be freezing, go on in the house."

Michiru pushed the door the rest of the way open and led the way in. Miri stared down at the hosta a little longer, but after a few seconds she let out a long sigh and stepped through the door. Haruka followed her with a slight frown.

_Maybe it's impolite to precede a host into their own house on Geshur,_ Haruka mused as she kicked her shoes off and set them beside Michiru's. Miri watched this intently, probably memorizing the little customs of a strange planet. Her big gray eyes drifted up the stairs and even over the banister with great interest.

While Haruka expected her partner to immediately whisk the soaked young woman up the stairs to the shower, Michiru instead watched Miri silently for a moment, a tiny frown barely furrowing the flesh between her brows. Haruka flicked her head slightly to catch her lover's attention as the others began to file in after them. Ocean colored eyes met hers, and she raised her brows in a silent question. Michiru did not respond with so much as a blink, but instead turned to their guest.

"Miri, would you like some tea? Something warm to drink, I mean."

"_Ano,_ love," Haruka muttered, "what happened to getting our guest dressed?"

She recognized in an instant Michiru's answering smile, a sweet turn of the lips and daggers in her eyes. She blinked in surprise, but obediently fell silent.

"Miri?" Michiru tried again, gesturing the opposite direction from the stairs, into the living room. "Tea?"

Miri smiled sideways at Michiru without turning her head. "That sounds wonderful, but first, perhaps, a change of clothing, please?"

"What's going on?" Ami whispered as she edged in beside Haruka.

Haruka merely shrugged and continued to watch Michiru in confusion.

Yet her beloved, smiling all the while, nodded graciously, and led Miri up the stairs, saying over her shoulder, "Haruka? Tea, love?"

"_Hai,_" Haruka called weakly after her. She glanced at Ami, who looked back, equally confused, then shrugged one more time and headed towards the kitchen. "That was a little—_Oh, blessed Sol_!"

She would forever after swear that her words came out in a shout, rather than a shriek, but it was certainly a sharp, shrill shout of shock.

"HARUKA!" Kakyuu cried, jerking upright, off Fubuki, in shock.

"_Princess!_" Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten gasped from the doorway.

"Everyone!" Kakyuu squeaked. "You're back!"

"You're gawking," Fubuki growled in his icy voice as he pulled Kakyuu's shirt swiftly closed.

Haruka thought they should be excused for gawking. There lay the Captain of the Palace Guards of Kinmoku, on his back, on the couch _where her daughter did her homework_, shirtless. The missing garment was hanging from the ceiling fan directly above their heads. Straddling his waist, her blouse sliding off her shoulders and her red hair falling all around them, was the beautiful, proper Princess Kakyuu.

"Wow," Jadeite spoke from somewhere behind them. "Maybe we should spring for a hotel room for you guys after all. Ow."

"_Gomen,_" Haruka whispered. She turned her eyes politely away so that Kakyuu could button her shirt. "We, uh, we thought you were still asleep."

"Oh, um, we're not," Kakyuu muttered in a voice of pure humiliation.

"We noticed." Haruka winced. "That's not what I meant to say."

"It's fine. I mean, it's your house after all, and we shouldn't…oh, I would rather like to die right about now."

"Princess," Ami spoke up quickly with her sweet smile, "please, if ever you were safe to be yourself, it's here, surrounded by so many of our sister Senshi."

Everyone gave her an impressive collection of wide-eyed stares of various stages of awkwardness.

"_Iie,_ of course this is absolutely _mortifying_…wait, that's not what I meant!" Ami seemed to grope for the right words, something that rarely happened to her. "I meant, well, it's just that we all know what you're feeling right now—"

"That would be Fubuki," Jadeite muttered, earning a hastily aborted giggle from both Rei and Makoto, and a smack from Kunzite.

Ami groaned and dropped her face into one hand. "I just meant—"

"What Ami-chan is trying to say," Minako announced suddenly, moving to Ami's side, "is that you shouldn't have to lie or make excuses or hide anything. Not from us. You love Fubuki, and we can all safely say he has shown he loves you, _shut up Jadeite,_ so the only problem is that you felt you had to hide from us, which led to this…uh…situation. Please, don't feel like that. You are safe with us, and you don't have to wear the cloak of dignity you wear for your people, to remain the image of bravery and serenity and justice and strength and… It's just us, and we know what's underneath that cloak."

Kakyuu smiled in wordless appreciation, which did not dim even when Jadeite pled softly, "Please, can I just add one little—?"

"_Iie,_" was the general consensus.

"Minako," Kakyuu said softly, "Ami, thank you. Sometimes we forget how to be ourselves and Senshi at the same time. But your words do make me feel more comfortable."

"I would be more comfortable," Seiya said casually, studying the ceiling, "if you were to _please_ get off of Fubuki!"

Kakyuu was able to join in the laughter even as she scrambled to her feet. Haruka rose up on her toes to pull Fubuki's shirt from the fan and handed it politely to the half-naked man. He nodded curt thanks, then tugged it over his head. There was no flush to his cheeks, but his eyes did shift away from hers a little too quickly.

Ever obedient to Michiru's commands, Haruka slid into the kitchen to make the desired tea for Miri as the others explained the most recent development to Kakyuu and Fubuki. Though it was not necessary for her to stand and watch a tea kettle, waiting for it to boil, she took it as a good excuse to be alone with her thoughts.

She had many thoughts. She fought to keep them on the matter at hand, on the war she was afraid had already begun while they were searching for some stupid capsule. None of their smaller, personal problems would mean anything if the world was swallowed by total evil. But as she opened the cupboard to search for a clean tea cup, her fingers closed instead around cold glass, and she pulled that down instead.

It was a simple blue glass, imprinted with the shapes of seashells. Hotaru found it at some small shop on a beach trip. She had filled it with Michiru's favorite candies for her birthday. They had spent that night laying on the couch together, Michiru and Haruka and Setsuna and Hotaru in the center of them all, eating those candies and laughing through bad horror movies.

_Just a few months ago…Where is our sister? Where is our baby?_

"Haruka?"

She turned her head quickly away from the door, raising a hand to quickly wipe at a tear she had not noticed until just that moment.

"Rei," she greeted the other young woman in a gruff voice. "Do you need something?"

Rei moved over to her side and plucked a tea cup from one of the shelves. She handed it to Haruka, then began to hunt for a box of tea.

"What I could really use is a little sofa time of my own with Jadeite," she confessed with a smile Haruka could hear in her voice. "But I heard the water stop running up stairs, so I thought Miri would be needing her tea soon. She's nice. I like her."

"Something about her is bothering Michiru," Haruka said. She passed Rei the tea ball and watched as she loaded it. "We're running low on tea again, aren't we?"

"We're running low on everything," Rei sighed. "Food, tea, soda…I'll get more of that, Jadeite is going through it at an alarming rate."

"Rei, do you miss your father?"

Violet eyes flashed up to hers, shock mingling with fury. For a startled moment Haruka thought she would storm out. But she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing her anger to go with it.

"Never," she said simply. "When I see him in papers I don't buy them. When I see him on television I change the channel. And if we passed on the street, he would not say a word to me, because he would not recognize me. I like it that way."

Haruka frowned and lifted the kettle from the stove as it began to sing. "Because he chose his job over you?"

"Because he chose everything over my mother and me," Rei said. "But I don't think I can blame the Abyss for all of that, Haruka, so what put it in your mind?"

"Senshi…duties…sacrifices…hiding who we are…" she said, gesturing back towards the living room. "Do you think Hotaru is missing me?"

Rei dropped the tea ball into the kettle, replaced the top, turned, and put both arms around Haruka to hug her tight. "Haruka, you are a thousand times the father mine ever was. Hotaru loves you very much."

"I miss her," Haruka whispered. "I miss Setsuna, and I miss our family, and I miss _us,_ just our Senshi, and there's all these _people_ in our house and Luna won't even tell us where Usagi is and what if this is what the Abyss wants? Galaxia thinks she's gathering our forces but she's tearing our family apart."

"She's not," Rei soothed. "She can't. Do you need to see Hotaru to love her?"

"Of course not."

"Then no one can tear you apart. Just like no one could ever really take Usagi from us." Rei laughed a little into Haruka's hair. "We used to be afraid, in the Silver Millennium, that we would get married and have to leave each other. That's why we promised each other, when we were young, that none of us would ever fall in love."

"That worked out really well," Haruka said on a chuckle.

"A part of each of us was afraid of the Shitennou," Rei whispered. "What we felt for them was so strong…it terrified us. It still scares me sometimes."

"I know. I look in Michiru's eyes and I know I have no power against her."

"But what we feel for them, what they feel for us, led them back to us from the dead," Rei reminded her. "Do you really think that you feel any less for Hotaru?"

"_Iie._"

"And the bond between Senshi, between us and Usagi…there is no breaking that. We will _never_ let go. And that is what we have over the Abyss."

"Hey, girls," Jadeite called as he walked suddenly in, "Michiru wants that tea pronto, and for the love of Gaia, _what is with all the crying?_"

"Oh, shut up," Rei growled. She let go of Haruka, all gentleness wiped from her face to make way for a fierce frown.

"Oh come on, Kakyuu's getting weepy, Minako's pissed at Kunzite about something, can't blame her, Ami's trying to be touching and emotional," Jadeite listed, counting them on his fingers, "and now Haruka, who's got the stiffest upper lip in the galaxy, is crying!"

"She's not crying," Rei shot back, inaccurate but loyal, "and it doesn't matter if she is. So what if every once in a while the girls need to lean on each other? Are you telling me that when we aren't around you guys don't act differently, maybe even get a little emotional?"

"Seriously," Nephrite said, entering behind Jadeite, "Michiru wants that tea."

Jadeite turned towards him, threw both arms around his neck, and laid his head on his shoulder. "Nephrite…things are hard right now. Can I share with you?"

"I refuse to acknowledge that this is happening," Nephrite said to the ceiling. "Will someone hand me a tea cup so I can get the hell out of here?"

Haruka poured out the tea and passed the cup to him as Rei said, "Jadeite. Off."

"You know," Haruka told Jadeite, "Rei needed to share a little of her own feelings, too."

Jadeite released Nephrite, who gladly escaped with the tea, and gave Haruka his undivided attention. "Care to elaborate?"

"That's not necessary," Rei hissed. "My own…things…aren't that interesting."

"They are if they involve me," Jadeite argued. "Come on, Haruka, what'd she say about me?"

Haruka caught a glare out of the corner of her eye, but she gave Rei a little impish smile. "She said," Rei's eyes widened pleadingly, "that she could use a little sofa time with you."

"Okay."

Rei had excellent reflexes, but she had time only to let out a muffled scream as Jadeite bent, seized her behind her knees, and threw her unceremoniously over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Haruka gasped in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Ami and Zoisite are doing their genius thing," Jadeite informed her as he turned away, Rei's long hair flowing after, "do you really think they need us? Hell, it's only ten in the morning on a Saturday! _Nobody_ needs us yet."

Haruka followed him helplessly back into the living room. She dared not try to seize Rei back, for fear he would drop her. Also, though Rei cursed him and demanded that he put her down, she made no real attempt to free herself.

"Jadeite!" Kunzite shouted as his officer marched through the crowd in the living room with a yelling Senshi. "Put her down!"

"I will," Jadeite assured him without pausing once. "Just not here. Miri, it's been a pleasure meeting you. Please excuse us, but we will be back soon. We'll bring pizza, everyone!"

"Jadeite!" Rei shrieked. "Blood is rushing to my head!"

"Not pizza!" Seiya shouted after him. "We've had that three days in a row!"

"Fine, I'll bring noodles. Hang on, Rei, I have to grab your shoes."

"Black spots in my vision, Jadeite!"

"Ah, _konichiwa, _my liege! Will you hold the door, please? _Arigatou. Sayonara, minna!_"

Mamoru stood watching him for a moment, then quietly closed the door behind him, removed his shoes, and walked into the living room.

"Was there any luck with the capsule?" he asked the room at large. Suddenly his eyes found Miri, wearing Setsuna's long black skirt and Michiru's white blouse. "Oh. _Konichiwa,_ Miss…"

"Miri," everyone told him together.

"Sailor Lejah," Miri added, bowing with exquisite grace. "You are the Prince?"

"I am," he confirmed. "Another Sailor Senshi. That has ceased to surprise me, I'm afraid. But it is always a pleasure to meet another Soldier."

"I'm happy to help," Miri told him. Her eyes studied him for a moment, one brow rising slightly. "Something, perhaps, you find you need now?"

Mamoru blinked at her in surprise. "Of course. That's why Setsuna went to your system. What is your system called? Please, tell us about yourself."

"I am from the Geshur system," Miri said. "You are kind to ask about it, but you are distracted. Is something wrong?"

"_Iie,_" Mamoru said a little too quickly. Everyone turned to stare at him, forcing him to sigh and relent. "It has nothing to do with any of this. I just happened to stop in at the Arcade for a word with Motoki before he opened up for the day."

Zoisite let out a very soft sound that was almost a growl.

Mamoru shot him a quelling look with a tiny smile underlining it. "And when I walked out I saw Asanuma."

"Is he alright?" Makoto asked in some concern.

"Who's Asanuma?" Haruka added.

"He's an underclassmen from my old school," Mamoru explained, "and a friend of Makoto's. He was standing outside the Arcade."

"Doing what?" Kunzite murmured.

"Nothing. That's what was troubling me. He was just standing there on the sidewalk in front of the Arcade. He didn't move for people. He made them walk around him. But he wasn't exactly dazed. He was watching people as they walked by, staring at faces as though he was looking for someone. I walked up to him and said his name. He didn't answer. So I took his arm and gave him a little shake."

"What did he do then?" Miri asked quickly, her voice almost breathless as she stared intently at him. "Did he answer you?"

"_Hai._ He turned around and looked right at me. Then he smiled, and when I asked if he was alright, he said he was fine. I had to get here, so I said goodbye and turned to leave. He grabbed my wrist to stop me. That was a little strange as well, because even when I turned back to him he held onto it. But he wouldn't look at me. He kept looking around like he was surprised to see…Tokyo. He asked me how I was…well, not exactly. He asked me if I was happy."

"If you were happy? That's odd," Nephrite muttered. "Then again, you don't look exactly sunny these days."

"I told him I was happy," Mamoru continued, "and tried to leave again. He still didn't let me go. He was staring across the street at a woman carrying a little boy. Then…then he…okay, well, he ran his thumb over my wrist a few times."

"Excuse me?" his three Shitennou chorused.

"It was a little uncomfortable," Mamoru admitted with a self-conscious shrug.

Makoto chewed her lower lip for a moment with a worried frown. "That's the kind of off behavior we should be looking for, isn't it?"

"But it's the middle of the day," Nephrite reassured her softly. "Remember, everything the Abyss does happens at night."

"Only at night?" Miri echoed. "Why?"

"The Abyss does not like light," Haruka told her. "At all. Even Inanna, the dead star that escaped, couldn't stand sunlight, or even moonlight."

Ami suddenly cleared her throat softly as she touched the frame of a picture sitting on one end table. "Hotaru."

"What about Hotaru?" Michiru responded a little sharply.

"The Abyss controlled Hotaru during the day as well as the night," Ami reminded them all. "It could control Asanuma anytime if it had a chance to get inside of him."

"But it took a failed Senshi attack to get inside of Hotaru," Kunzite added. "How could it get inside this Asanuma?"

"It might not be that," Mamoru interrupted. "He might not have known he was doing it, or if he did he didn't mean to. He let go of me right then, but asked what I would do if someone stole something from me. I thought he was just having some trouble with another student, maybe even someone who stole some homework or a project. I said it's hard, but he can't let it take over his life. I told him that he would, sooner or later, have to forgive the other person."

"That's a great mentor-style answer," Zoisite said with a little smile. "What did he say to that?"

"He said, 'What she did makes forgiveness impossible.'"

"_She_?" Seiya said. "That could explain a few things. He has lady troubles."

"Oh, so she stole his heart," Nephrite added with a little smile. "I would say she wasn't very gentle with it, though."

"Or she stole his heart, and _then_ his homework," Taiki said. "That could leave a young man distracted, especially if it only happened last night."

Miri, glancing between them all, seemed to relax a little. "Is that what you think happened?"

"It's more likely than that he's been possessed," Mamoru said, "_but_ I'm still going to keep an eye on him."

"So why are you here than there with him?" Seiya demanded.

Mamoru's mouth tightened slightly at her tone, but he managed to maintain his composure as he said, "I can't suddenly attach myself to Asanuma and a group of younger people. He said he had to meet some friends."


	41. Chapter 41

_Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no point in suing…_

_A/N: We're picking up momentum again, both for me and the story. So big thanks go out to Lalaith Yamainu (always so good to hear from you, thanks for sticking with me, and Miri and Michiru will be explained) tryntee13 (no, didn't see Mamo after the dream with Usagi, just kind of mentioned it through Minako, and yes, though they are separated, there will still be some Mamo/Usa love) Isis Aurora Tomoe (yea! I did something nice for your birthday! your mojo against writer's block seems to have worked so far, fingers crossed) Barbara Holmes (I know it was a little sappy, but we're back to darkness now, and everyone loves Michiru and the knife, and Miri has some insights to deliver) apsara (education is more important than fanfic, but I have lost my fair share of sleep reading fanfics so who am I to talk, and I'm _really glad_ you like it so much) Everyone else, thanks for sticking it out with me just a little longer!_

. . . . . . . . . . .

_"Something…anything…just one piece…find something…anything…just one piece…"_

Kobe Ruruna stumbled and collapsed against the tree. Her muscles burned with exhaustion. She shook all over. She had barely eaten in three days, and had not slept. She just wanted rest, but she could not stop. As long as she kept moving the voices remained nothing but soft hisses inside of her head. If she lay down…if she closed her eyes…

"Oh, God," she moaned, pressing her cheek into the side of the tree. "Please, someone, just make it stop. Why won't they stop?"

If she closed her eyes they punished her.

_"Find something…anything…just one piece…"_

She did not know what she was looking for, but they did not need her to know. They were watching through her eyes, many of them, hissing and fighting with one another. But they all wanted the same thing. They wanted out.

_"…just one piece…FIND IT!"_

Ruruna pushed herself off from the tree and looked blankly around. She knew this place. She had come here before, with Naruru, Chibiusa, and Hotaru. It was some kind of festival…she could not remember for what…but there had been kimonos, and games, and a pretty _miko._

"Ah!" Ruruna cried, clutching her head and almost falling to her knees. Fire exploded inside her skull as the _miko's_ face flitted through her memory.

This time only one voice spoke, a man's voice that burned.

_"Mine…"_

_ "No," the others moaned back. "What about mine? Where are mine?"_

Ruruna forced her legs forward, towards the temple. A _miko._ She needed a _miko._ And her grandfather, hadn't Chibiusa insisted they both could perform exorcisms? They could pull these voices out of her head, they could make it all stop, she just needed it to _stop!_

She tried to shout, but it came out in a tiny, pained whimper.

"Is anyone here? Please, is someone here?"

There was no answer, driving a new spike of fear into her heart. They would figure out what she was doing. They would try and stop her. They would send those screams into her head again, millions of voices screaming, and those faces without eyes would push out of thin air into her own, and the pain from the palm of her hand would ignite her body in agony again.

"Someone? Anyone? Please, please!"

No one answered.

Ruruna's eyes swept over the front of the temple. There was a door, a little to the left. Was it open? Was there someone in there?

She could not run, but she staggered as fast as she could to that sliding door. It was just an inch open. Her hand touched the thin door, still trembling, but now it was with excitement.

The door slid open to an empty bedroom.

_"Iie…_please," Ruruna gasped. She tripped through the doorway, her eyes sweeping back and forth as though the _miko_ might be hiding in a corner or underneath the bed. Only the vacant room of a modern teenager greeted her exhausted, desperate gaze.

She began to turn, to leave, her glazed eyes barely taking in the bedside table with the clutter of pictures. She stepped back out the door, her mind only on the old man. He could help her.

Blackness for one second, and then a face, the one with the scar slashing across his face, flew at her. His mouth opened in a roar. Flames poured from his empty eye sockets.

Ruruna choked on a scream and leapt back. Her foot slipped out from underneath her. She fell hard on her rear, her aching right hand taking most of the force. She found herself sitting close to the bedside table, almost face-to-face with the pictures.

She recognized the faces, but only vaguely. Sometimes these girls were there when she visited Chibiusa. They tended to stop talking suddenly when anyone entered the room. There was a picture of the _miko_ laughing up at that older girl with the short blond hair who occasionally picked up Hotaru and Chibiusa from school. Beside that, the _miko_ stood in her red _hakama,_ aiming her broom angrily at a laughing girl with a big red bow in her hair, holding something behind her back. Girls in pajamas, and girls studying, and one picture of nine girls very cozy in a photo club booth. And as they glimpsed all those faces through her eyes, they moaned and cried and whispered.

Somewhere inside her head water drops fell with soft splashes. _"My face…brow furrowed like mine…she is reading…studying…so clever…"_

A woman laughed, low but cracking like ice. _"Yes…my body…my hair…who could resist her?"_

The flames and burning voice came again. _"Strong hands…fierce eyes…my eyes…"_

Lightning crashed. _"Tall…mighty…she shows no fear…my strength…"_

Silence, unbreakable silence, but she felt tiny hands pressing against her mind as empty eyes devoured a petite form, black hair, and violet eyes.

A wind howled. _"My smile…my eyes…calloused hands…my sword, perhaps?"_

Waves beat against the beach. _"My hands…my neck…hair like the sea…"_

Grains of sand whispered against each other as they fell through the hour glass. _"Ancient eyes…my mouth…hair long as mine…"_

Hunger welled up inside them all, harsher than longing and cold as space. Ruruna did not know what they wanted with these girls, but she could feel them calculating and scheming, and her soul sank as she realized there was no help for her. They had let her into this room. They had known everything all along.

They wanted to use her against these girls, and she could do nothing to stop them.

"Why them?" she whispered. "Why can't you leave them alone? Why can't you leave _me_ alone?"

_"Something…anything…just one piece…something…anything…THERE!"_

The _miko_ had made the bed that morning. The sheets and quilt showed no crease. But on the pillow lay a single, shining strand of black hair.

_"THERE!"_ the burning voice shouted. _"ONE PIECE! TAKE IT!"_

_"NO!"_ the others shrieked. _"NO, MINE, I WANT MINE!"_

They were fighting, jostling each other and screaming. Rain slashed and that laugh turned to a cackle and fire crackled and lightning crashed and the silence was terrible and wind howled and the ocean roared and the sands of the hour glass battered the sides and she would anything to make it STOP.

Ruruna lunged forward and seized the shining black hair.

.

.

.

The weak human's hand opened. He stared down at the hair lying across the pale little hand, and a smile quirked the soft mouth. _His_ mouth now. The mortal had disappeared without so much as a whimper, down into the depths of the Abyss. He clenched his new hand around the hair of his descendant. The flesh pulled tight over the sliver of the Abyss the girl had unwittingly allowed in, but for him there was no pain.

The others had fallen silent. They would be forced to fight amongst each other for their own shell. It did not concern him much.

He contemplated the pictures again. The girl had so much of him in her, but it was not his smile in all those captured moments.

For just a second she was almost there, a slender figure in her scarred silver breast plate, scarlet silk fluttering around her, and violet hair in her face. He had warned her that his bow was too powerful, that it would kill her. The moment he turned his back, she and the bow were gone. The burn scars forever covered her left arm, but as he knelt over her and begged her to breath she opened her eyes and laughed in his face.

_"I told you it would not kill me."_

_ "I should! You little idiot—"_

_ "Shut up and move. Don't carry me, I can walk!"_

She had walked all the way back to the Palace without accepting any of his help, despite his many attempts, and only laughed again as the healers wrapped her arm. That night she wrapped both arms, the injured as well as the whole, around him and gasped through gritted teeth. She bit his neck and flipped him onto his back, pinned his hands to the pillow, and laughed.

That same smile, _her_ smile, shone out of every one of those pictures.

"Myrina."

For just a second, something moved inside his dead heart, and he heard her laugh.

Then the laugh came again, accompanied by one he did not know, and he realized it was coming from outside. He quickly slid the door closed, crossed the room, and slipped out the other door. A moment later he heard them enter the room, and he stopped to listen.

"You are insane!" the girl, _not Myrina,_ gasped. "How are we supposed to go back there and look everyone in the face?"

"Don't be so dramatic. It still isn't half as bad as finding Kakyuu and Fubuki—"

"It is if you announce it to everyone!"

"_You_ are the one who told Haruka you need, and I quote, 'a little sofa time.'"

"You're an ass."

"I shall not argue that fact. But I'm not a total ass, you know. I can tell things are rocky with my fearless leader and your goddess of love. She lost her bracelet on the beach while they were fishing out Miri, and she didn't even want to go back for it. Obviously, she's upset about something."

"Well, that's because he is an ass. He is always a General, and sometimes a woman just wants a man, without him bringing up impending war all the time."

"If it helps, I have no desire to talk about war. Instead…"

"Oh! Uh, you know, my grandfather tends to be _awake_ at this time of the day. It's a bad idea…bad…very bad…very bad shirt, must go away now."

"See, now you're talking like a sensible woman. Hey!"

A muffled crash followed those words, and _that laugh._

"Shut up, Jadeite."

The man appeared to obey her, for there were no more words.

The ancient King of Mars turned and walked away. Without that laugh the cold came back, and he knew he had more pressing matters. The Moon brat was becoming too powerful, too quickly. The man had mentioned the goddess of love. Venus's descendant had left something lying on the beach. There were others with the seeds of the Abyss growing within them.

It was time they finally broke free of their prison.


	42. Chapter 42

_Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I am in no way associated with anything other than my original characters, then you are obviously not reading these things anyway._

_A/N: Haha, less than a week! Booyah! Easily excited, guys, sorry. And now Galaxia, Setsuna, Absalom, and the gang are back up. So, special thanks go out to Lalaith Yamainu (love to hatred turned, hold that thought, it will be important, so happy you are obviously on the same wavelength as me cause you really got that bit) Isis Aurora Tomoe (good mojo, good Isis, well done, thanks for that) Bin82501 (hello, so sorry to have disappeared on you, thanks for giving me another chance) and Mystra32 (long and complicated, that's a nice way of putting it, but I'm glad I can still surprise you guys a little) And everyone else, thanks for reading!_

Doubling over with laughter, Setsuna managed to keep her eyes open enough to watch her partner performing a rather bizarre dance.

"Feathers!" Galaxia shrieked, shaking out her long, brilliant tresses. "Feathers! Damn birds! Argh! Are there still some in my hair?"

"Your _hair?_" Setsuna gasped. "They're _everywhere!_ Your hair, your clothes, your boots…what in all the cosmos were you _doing_ on Coronis?"

"What was I doing?" Galaxia shot back, whipping her hair out of her face. "Oh, you mean after you _abandoned_ me there?"

"I did not!"

"You did too!"

"I did not! I made absolutely certain that Sailor Coronis was not going to kill you, and then I teleported over to Mermaid, _like we discussed!_"

Galaxia huffed and untangled three feathers, scarlet, turquoise, and amethyst, from the ends of her hair. "I do not like birds."

"You're just being childish now," Setsuna scolded with a soft smile. "Come here, or you'll be at this forever, and even though it is vastly amusing, we need to talk."

The Sailor Senshi of the nearest system were slightly more democratic than Geshur, Kinmoku, or even the Silver Millennium. The Senshi of the planets Coronis, Chu, Mau, Cocoon, and Mermaid formed a council. There was no one authority. So each planet had to be visited separately. The sheer amount of pollen kicked up in the capital of Cocoon led to a terrible sneezing fit from Setsuna, so she paused just long enough to explain the situation before fleeing to Mau. Her allergies handled that meeting a little better, but the men of Mau paced around her making strange, purring noises, and suddenly she felt that her Sailor _fuku_ was far too short. Sailor Mau had been pleasant and friendly, but alert to the warning she brought. Setsuna reconnected with Galaxia on Chu. Her partner's only response to questions about Cocoon was, "I never knew butterflies could be so scary." But on Chu, the denizens seemed more wary of Setsuna than of Galaxia. Sailor Chu, with her sweet smile and adorable ears, explained simply, "You smell like cat." Despite this set back, the partners managed to convince a third Senshi of their plight. Setsuna stopped on Coronis merely to be sure that the graceful Senshi with the soulful eyes would hear Galaxia out, then went immediately to Mermaid. The world of oceans made her homesick for Michiru and she stood for several long minutes at the very edge of the city thrusting out of the waters to stare at the sea. Sailor Mermaid had been expecting her, and sent an envoy of polite guards to meet her. Setsuna did not know how well they had faired on Mermaid. The Senshi listened intently but spoke little. Then she thanked Setsuna and nodded a dismissal, and she had nothing else to do but teleport back to Geshur.

Galaxia was there when she arrived on a long balcony outside the fourth story of the Palace, her head piece lying on the gold-veined marble, tearing at the feathers in her hair and swearing softly but fluently. One look at her sent Setsuna into a peal of laughter.

"What did Sailor Coronis say?" Setsuna asked as she plucked a few more feathers, these from Galaxia's clothes. "What do you think she'll say to the others?"

"She looked ready to faint when I mentioned another round of the Sailor Wars," Galaxia said, "especially when she realized how frightened I am."

Setsuna jerked her eyes up from a deep green feather tucked into the waist of her partner's uniform with surprise.

"You're frightened?" she murmured.

Galaxia frowned at her in return. "Of course. Aren't you?"

"_Hai,_ but…you never seem frightened," Setsuna explained. "Determined, but never frightened."

"I have a lot of practice hiding that sort of thing."

Setsuna snorted softly and dropped her eyes to pull out the feather. "So do I."

Tan, strong fingers took the feather from her. She looked up at Galaxia, who met her eyes with a small but warm smile. Galaxia held the feather against Setsuna's hair, causing Setsuna to smirk. It was the exact same shade as her hair.

"I think," Galaxia said, tracing the feather up the curve of Setsuna's cheek, "that I'm going to keep this one."

"But you 'do not like birds'," Setsuna reminded her, then giggled as the feather tickled its way down her nose.

"But this color…I _really_ like this color."

"Hm." Setsuna stepped back and looked at the pile of feathers scattered around Galaxia's feet on the floor of the balcony. "I wonder what color I should pick."

"Choose carefully," Galaxia teased. "You only get one, you know."

"I like—"

"Sailor Pluto, is that you?"

Both Senshi turned towards the male voice. A moment later the soft curtain moved aside, and Prince Absalom stepped out onto the balcony with them. His brows rose sharply as he looked over Galaxia and her colorful plumage. He turned to Setsuna with a slight smile, and she was struck again how handsome he could be with that smile.

"Did the meetings with the other Senshi not go well?"

"It went very well," Galaxia countered, "so well that Sailor Coronis allowed me all the way into the Palace to speak privately. Unfortunately, on Coronis they use feathers for _everything._ They wear them, they decorate with them, and they let birds fly free everywhere. So, as you can see, I came away with a few souvenirs."

Absalom looked down at her souvenirs littering the floor. "Yes, I do see that. In the rooms Anyuta set aside for you I'm sure there is a brush. That might help."

"Thank you," Galaxia said. Setsuna glanced at her curiously, sure she had heard a hint of strain in the other woman's voice. The laugh had fled from her crimson eyes and her mouth had tightened. She looked from Absalom to Setsuna uncertainly, then suddenly executed a small bow. "Excuse me, Prince."

She was through the curtain before Setsuna could do more than blink.

"Oh, well, um," Setsuna muttered, strangely torn between following Galaxia and lingering beside Absalom, "I suppose I should…"

She gestured after her partner.

"No need," the Prince assured her, his smile widening. "You look…good. Very good."

Older than anyone other than Galaxia herself, Setsuna felt ridiculous blushing in front of this handsome man. Compared to her, he was no more than a child. An infant, even.

_He does not look like a child. He looks…good._

He wore his clothing properly laced, unlike the night they had first stumbled into his midst. There was no bare chest, and no bare arms. A glance at the sky showed that the sun had not yet set. Perhaps he had just come from court.

"Did you tell your Council what we told you?" Setsuna asked. "What did they say? Throw us to the Abyss?"

Absalom laughed as he leaned back against the railing of the balcony. "Close, but if it makes you feel any better, it has nothing to do with _you_. Galaxia is not going to be easy for them to accept. I'm not sure they ever really will. It took Anyuta, Csilla, and Sippora's support for anyone to listen to a word I said. We talked them around, mostly, though I think it would be best for the two of you to stay within these few rooms. This is the Royal wing of the Palace. Only the Senshi and the Royal Family have any business in this wing. Even Lirita is housed a floor down from us."

"That sounds…" Setsuna mulled for a moment, then smiled. "Nice. Someplace where you are surrounded by those you know you can completely trust."

"You will note there are only five of them," Absalom said on a bitter laugh. "And one of them is six-years-old."

"What about your father?"

He blinked uncertainly at her. "My father? What do you mean?"

"Lirita mentioned a King…um, King…"

"King Sivan," Absalom supplied softly. "Things are complicated. Senshi tend to live so much longer than anyone else. It has been a long time since we had a dowager King, let alone a Princess who is nothing more than a child, and a Prince holding this _damn_—"

He turned away suddenly, his hand clenching around the Geshur Crystal on his chest. Setsuna watched in pained silence as he stood with his head down and tried to regain his breath. He was shaking slightly, from rage or exhaustion or fear she could not know.

But she understood that harsh note in his voice. He had never asked for the Geshur Crystal, did not want it, but for the love of his little sister he held it. Every time Sailor Pluto stood at the Gates of Time and tried not to hear the music playing from the White Moon that same little touch of bitterness would stab at her heart. Yet she loved her Queen, and she had performed her duty without ever being asked because Queen Serenity could never have brought herself to demand something so terrible.

"When did she die?" Setsuna dared to ask. "Your mother, I mean."

Absalom stood with his back to her for several long moments and said nothing. Biting her lip guiltily, Setsuna looked towards the curtains. Just as she moved to go he spoke.

"Four years ago." He took one more deep breath and let his head fall back, but did not turn to face her. "Tamar had just begun to walk. We were very happy then. She was beautiful. Black hair, and big dark eyes like Tamar's. She looks so much like our mother. She always smelled good, too. I remember her walking through the gardens with her own Senshi. They were the mothers of my Senshi, of course. Well, except for Sailor Lejah. She had no children, so her Crystal passed to her brother's daughter. Miri."

Setsuna wanted to ask about them, his mother's Senshi. Why had their daughters stepped in for them? Had they died with their Queen, or did they merely retire? Queen Serenity never had any Senshi of her own, but that was long ago, in a very different time. She chose silence instead, and let him talk.

"It was sudden," he whispered. "One morning she was carrying Tamar around and singing to her, and demanding that I sing too, which of course I would not do, because I was a man and not a child anymore, and the next…she was just gone."

"Absalom," Setsuna murmured. "Oh, I am so sorry."

"I was eighteen," he continued. "And she was two. Tamar, I mean. She could not understand, of course. All she knew was I was wearing Mama's Crystal all of a sudden, and Mama was gone. She would not let him pick her up. She would just run from room to room screaming for our mother. I would catch her and hold her until she would scream herself out. Then one day she stopped. Instead of trying to get into our mother's bedroom anymore she walked out of her room, just this little girl with wavering baby steps, and she crawled into her chair, and wanted her breakfast. She never said the word Mama again."

Setsuna stood blinking soundlessly at his back, completely at a loss for words. The horror and destruction of the Silver Millennium had been utterly complete. There had been no burials. There had been no mourners. There had been no survivors. One rise and fall of the Silence Glaive and there was nothing left but memories.

This was different. Personal. Geshur had lots its Queen, but Absalom and Tamar had lost their _mother_.

"So," Absalom said suddenly, turning back around with a pained little smile, "obviously, Tamar is technically the one with the power. People know that. They try and play us against each other. She's _six-years-old._ I can't trust my own Council members. I can't trust anyone but Anyuta, Sippora, Csilla, and Miri."

"Not even Lirita?" Setsuna asked. "She seems to be close to Tamar."

"She is Tamar's tutor," Absalom said. "She is a good woman, and she wants what is best for Tamar, but if someone were to convince her that what _they_ want is what is best for Tamar…I have to even spy on a friend to keep my little sister safe."

"If…" Setsuna hesitated, staring into his clear gray eyes. She had stood too long as the last Soldier between the Moon Kingdom and the rest of the galaxy. She wanted desperately to just talk to Absalom without worrying there was something behind his words. Instinctively she trusted him, but a tiny part of her wondered if it was only because he reminded her, just a little, of Endymion.

"If you can't even trust Lirita…why are you trusting me?" she whispered. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Surprise flashed through those beautiful eyes, then disappointment, and just a little hurt. He straightened himself from the railing of the balcony, his voice becoming almost formal. "I'm sorry. You are a Senshi. I suppose I thought automatically that I could…talk freely. I did not mean to impose, Sailor Pluto."

"Setsuna," she said softly. "My name is Setsuna, and you are not imposing. _I_ asked _you._ I just…I know what it is to try and shield an innocent from the rest of the cosmos, and I…I want to trust you, but if I do just because I like you…you understand."

In his eyes she knew he did. He smiled a crooked smile and said, "_Wanting_ to trust me might cloud your judgment. Then how can you ever know if you _should_ trust me?"

Setsuna nodded sadly.

"I don't blame you for that, so I promise that I will not at any point ask you a question you do not want to answer," Absalom assured her. "Well, I might, unintentionally, but if you tell me you don't want to answer, or you can't answer, I won't press. Does that help?"

"Some," she admitted. "It makes it easier. But you still haven't answered my question. Why do you trust me? Is it really just that I'm a Sailor Senshi?"

He took a long, slow breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out, studying her all the while. "Where were you while Galaxia was on Coronis?"

"_Nani?_" Setsuna stared at him blankly. "_Ano…_I was on another planet. I went to speak to Sailor Mermaid."

"Of the planet Mermaid, I take it," Absalom said with a sage nod. "A windy planet?"

"It's a water planet," she corrected him. "All oceans. Why?"

Suddenly he started across the short space between them. Setsuna watched in considerable surprise as he came closer, her eyes widening, but she did not fall back. Absalom leaned in, his cheek almost brushing hers, and reached for her hair. His fingers brushing against the back of her neck made her jump, but she did not really mind.

"Your hair," he said very close to her ear, "is a complete knot. You look like you've been through a hurricane."

That surprised a laugh from her. "You told me I look good!"

"And you do," he assured her, struggling with her hair. "You look like a very beautiful hurricane victim."

"Stop!" Setsuna ordered him, swatting at his arm, but as she was still laughing he did not seem to take offense.

Absalom stepped back, shaking his head in defeat. "You might want a brush after all."

"Is it really that bad?" she said with a groan. "I've had long hair forever, literally, but some days it is such a trial!"

"It's beautiful," he promised. "It just needs a little work right now."

"That means it is time for me to retire," Setsuna said, still smiling. Before she could turn to go a flash of color made her turn her head. The setting sun made the ring of feathers Galaxia had left behind glitter like jewels.

One brilliant plume caught her eye. She knelt quickly and lifted it between two fingers. It was just the right color.

"I like this one," she murmured.

"What was that?" Absalom asked.

"Just a feather," she said. She rose and tucked it quickly into the bodice of her uniform. "Goodnight, Absalom."

Her hand barely touched the curtain when he said, "Miri trusts you."

Setsuna looked back at him in surprise. "Excuse me?"

A tiny, mysterious smile flitted across his mouth but lingered in his deep gray eyes. "Miri trusts you. That's why I trust you."

Absalom moved past her out into the hall. He started off in the opposite direction of her room, but looked over his shoulder to tell her, "Goodnight, Setsuna."

A glow followed her as she turned towards her own room, a warmth that seemed to emanate from the way Absalom looked at her. But she was too old, and too wise, to forget that Absalom had never answered her other question. He had never told her why King Sivan did not live in the Royal wing.

In fact, he spoke of his mother and his sister, but never his father. That could be all the answer she needed.


	43. Chapter 43

_Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I am in no way associated with anything other than my original characters, then you are obviously not reading these things anyway._

_A/N: Thank yous next time, did not proof read this, sorry for the inevitable mistakes but so sleepy._

The heavy gold headpiece slipped from Galaxia's fingers to land on the spacious bed. It was a beautiful room. Delicate hues of gold and silver layered each other on the walls. Fragile furniture in pale wood dotted the white carpet in the form of a low chaise lounge in front of the window, a truly awe inspiring wardrobe against the wall, and the body of the huge bed. She had spent the last few nights here on Geshur nestled in soft snowy white blankets, and it was comfortable and lovely, especially with Setsuna in the adjoining room, and only a door between them.

Galaxia had known of the Kingdom of the White Moon before she ever reached their system. She knew there lived within that system a Senshi almost as old as herself, but in the throes of Chaos's greed and madness she had given Sailor Pluto barely a passing thought. Then there had been a battle on her own ground, and she had watched two more Sailor Senshi succumb to the lure of the power of the bracelets, or so she thought. Neptune and Uranus, in one last desperate play, had turned on their partners, and she had watched with a smile as Sailor Pluto's Star Seed was ripped from her chest. Then her beautiful face had winked from existence and Galaxia had moved on with her attempts to master the galaxy.

But with the return of her star seed came the sorrow and the guilt. In her head she replayed so many deaths and so much pain, and the clearest picture of all of that had been a Sailor Senshi with dazzling garnet eyes and a cloak of silken hair. Perhaps it was because Pluto had been one of the last. Perhaps it was because in her solitary duty and long life Galaxia saw something of her own life.

Those were the reasons she gave herself for over a year. Now she wondered if it was something else, something in those amazing crimson eyes, fierce and fearless…in that little smile she gave as her life drained away…in her loyalty and courage and grace and beauty and…

"What are you doing?"

Galaxia spun sharply on her heel towards the door. She had closed it, but now it stood slightly ajar, and a little girl was looking up at her.

"Princess Tamar!" she gasped in shock.

The child cocked her head curiously at Galaxia. She showed absolutely no fear as she gazed up at the woman who had destroyed her home not so very long ago. Gold ribbons tied her black ringlets into bunches on either side of her head, and she wore a white dress with a full, frilled skirt that fell to a few inches above her ankles. Underneath, Galaxia glimpsed white shoes laced in gold and ruffled socks. With her big dark eyes and round face she looked very much like a little porcelain doll.

"What is that?" Tamar demanded, advancing further into the room and pushing the door closed in her wake. She marched straight to the bed and picked up Galaxia's headpiece to study it.

"I, uh, that is my…it's part of my uniform," Galaxia explained as she stared down at the child. "Tamar, what are you doing in here? Does Absalom know you're here?"

"No," was the very matter-of-fact response. "He wouldn't let me come in here. Why is your uniform all metal?"

"It's armor. If your brother doesn't want you in here, do you think you should be in here?"

"Absalom doesn't let me do a lot of things, but I do them anyway," Tamar said, flipping the headpiece over to stare into its depths. "You have a really big head."

Galaxia looked towards the door uncertainly. She did not know what had brought on Tamar's sudden interest in her company. She was even less sure if she should compel the child to leave, or perhaps even propel her. It did not appear Tamar would go willingly.

The little Princess turned the headpiece upright and plopped it onto her own much smaller head. It fell down over her face until all Galaxia could see was her stubborn little mouth and chin. It took a great deal of self-control not to laugh, but she contented herself with an amused, indulgent smile.

"My Senshi hate you."

The smile disappeared from Galaxia's face. She tried to put on her usual brave, stoic mask she reserved for just such moments as this, times when she must face what Chaos within her had done. But it slipped away as Tamar pushed the headpiece back far enough to peer up at her with an indifferent innocence.

"They do," Galaxia agreed sadly. She sank down on the edge of the bed and gazed down into the child face. "Do you know why?"

"No."

That earned a blink of surprise. "Tamar, you don't remember me coming to Geshur before?"

"No."

"Oh." Galaxia struggled to gather her wits. It had never occurred to her that Tamar would be blessed with no memory of the defeat of her world. "Well, I did something terrible, and I hurt a lot of people, including your Senshi. I didn't mean to do it, but that doesn't make it right."

"You hurt a lot of people?" Tamar repeated slowly. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You hurt my Senshi?"

"Yes, little one, I did," Galaxia whispered.

Tamar took off the helmet and handed it back to Galaxia. The oldest Senshi took it with a faint smile and set it aside. She expected to be left alone to her dark thoughts and memories. Instead, Tamar scrambled up onto the bed and sat beside her.

"Will you be my Senshi?"

Those five words hit her harder than any Sailor attack could, and nearly knocked her over backwards. She felt her mouth move soundlessly as she grasped for some answer to this enigmatic child. The Princess stared straight ahead, her ankles crossed and her hands folded primly in her lap, but Galaxia saw a faint blush in her cheeks.

"Tamar," Galaxia finally managed to gasp, "you already have four very powerful, very dedicated Senshi! After what I just told you, why would you want me to join them?"

"I don't!" Tamar snapped, her jaw clenched so tight she could barely get the words out. "I want you to be my _only_ Senshi!"

Galaxia finally gave up the struggle for words. She felt her mouth fall agape, and she wanted to pull it up, to maintain some kind of dignity as a mighty Sailor Senshi or, at least, as the adult in the conversation. Instead, all she could do was stare at Tamar in mute incomprehension.

"My Senshi hate me, too."

The comprehension came, and with it came a vicious twist to her heart strings. Tamar's voice did not tremble. No tears shone in her eyes. She said it simply, as if stating a fact.

"That's not true," Galaxia whispered. "Oh, sweetheart, that's not true."

"It is," Tamar said, still staring fixedly at the far wall. "None of them like me. They like Absalom. They want him to keep the Crystal forever."

"You…you don't know that," Galaxia said. "They never said that, did they?"

"No. They don't have to. They like to be with Absalom, but when I'm with him they all leave. They say they have other things to do. Then Absalom has something important to do, and he leaves, too," Tamar said. "I'm always with Lirita."

One hand moved towards the rigid little girl, but Galaxia hovered uncertainly. She did not know if she should hug Tamar, or just touch her shoulder, or not touch her at all. She wished for Setsuna and her experience with children, but the other woman was not there, and she would have to find her own way.

She settled on resting her hand just beside Tamar's knee, close but not touching, and saying softly, "They care, Tamar. But they are busy. Running a government takes time, and the things they do are to protect _you._ And you have Lirita, right?"

"Lirita doesn't like me either. She's in love with Absalom."

"Really?" Galaxia frowned over this. "Blessed Cosmos, don't tell me that girl _told_ you she's in love with your brother?"

"She _stares_ at him all the time," Tamar muttered, rolling her eyes. "She likes to save some of my lessons for night, when he can_ help._"

"Maybe she wants to have something that you and Absalom can do together," Galaxia suggested.

The look cast her from the corner of one dark eye told her Tamar was rapidly rethinking putting her trust in someone so dense, and in all honesty, Galaxia could not blame her.

"Alright, so Lirita is in love with Absalom," she admitted. "Apparently he is…eye catching. But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to be your teacher, too."

"She's from Trachonitis. That's Csilla's planet. It's my Papa's home world, too. He picked her. He and Absalom had a fight about it."

"Why?"

Tamar shrugged. "I don't know. Absalom said he was the Regent. Papa said he was my father. They got really mad at each other. I didn't like that, and Papa's always fun, and Csilla's nicer than the others, so I told Absalom I wanted Lirita. I thought she'd be fun, too. But she isn't. She doesn't pay any attention to me. She stares at Absalom, even when he can't see her, and then when Papa comes to visit me they just stand and whisper. He doesn't play with me anymore."

"Your Papa doesn't play with you anymore?" Galaxia asked, earning a confirming nod. "Why not?"

"I stay here with Absalom. Papa can't stay here since…since he isn't King anymore."

With a hand over her eyes, Galaxia let out a slow sigh. That four Senshi who she had every reason to believe would die for their home could hate their own Princess she did not truly consider for as much as a second. But she had no doubt that Tamar was a very lonely child.

"Tamar," she began slowly, "why would you want _me_ to be your Senshi?"

"You're the strongest," the child said, as though it should be obvious. She finally turned and looked up at Galaxia. "You could protect me from _everyone._ You could be…mine. Not Absalom's, just mine."

The hand fell into her lap, and Galaxia stared helplessly into those big dark eyes. Tamar was young, but not stupid. Either Absalom had let something slip within her hearing, or she felt some change in the daily life of the Palace. It did not matter how she knew. All that mattered was she knew she needed protection, and instead of turning to those who were sworn to lay down their lives for her she wanted a stranger.

_You could be…mine. Not Absalom's, just mine._

"Tamar, I cannot replace your Senshi," she whispered. "It is not my place, and it is not my right. They were chosen by their planets for a reason."

"They weren't chosen!" Tamar shouted with sudden vehemence. "They just got their Crystals because _their_ mamas were the Senshi of my—"

She turned her head sharply away, her shoulders trembling, and Galaxia was afraid she had finally begun to cry.

"Tamar, little one, listen to me," she urged, seizing up one tightly fisted hand. "I cannot replace them. That just isn't _possible._"

"Fine!" Tamar snapped. She tugged at her hand, and when she could not free herself, glared up at Galaxia. "Let me go!"

"No, because I'm not finished. I cannot replace your Senshi," Galaxia repeated. "But that doesn't mean I cannot protect you, as well."

Tamar froze, eyeing her uncertainly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if something were to happen, if for some reason your Senshi could not protect you, _I_ will protect you," Galaxia told her. She leaned in close, making sure that she had Tamar's full attention, and that the little girl could read the sincerity in her eyes. "Absalom is very nice, but you don't have to worry about me falling in love with him. And if I meet your father, I promise I will not stand and whisper with him instead of paying attention to you."

"So you'll be my…_secret_ Senshi?"

"How about if I am your _friend?_"

She could see Tamar mulling that over. She did not look particularly excited about having a friend rather than a secret Senshi, but after a few moments she sighed and nodded.

"Okay. You can be my friend."

Galaxia bit back a smile as she rose from the bed. "Thank you. But now, as your friend, I'm going to keep you from getting into trouble, and sneak you out of here. Go on, before Absalom sees you!"

Tamar accepted her help down from the bed, looking her over appraisingly one more time, and then turned to go. She only took a few steps before she stopped.

"Do friends keep secrets?" she whispered.

"Yes," Galaxia said slowly.

Turning around, Tamar beckoned her with one finger. "I have a secret."

Galaxia fixed a properly grave expression to her face and walked over to her. She went down to one knee so that she was closer to the child's height. "Yes, Princess?"

With one hand on either shoulder Tamar leaned in very close. Her lips actually brushed Galaxia's ear as she whispered five words. Then she jumped back and stared at the woman kneeling in front of her.

"You won't tell?"

"Uh…no," Galaxia said softly. "I promise I won't tell."

A smile, the first she had ever seen, lit up Tamar's face. The child ran to the door, looked nervously both ways, and then darted out into the hall.

Galaxia rose slowly to her feet, staring at the door. She did not know what to think of Tamar's secret. She did not know what to think about Geshur at all.

She made her way back to the bed. Her thoughts were still a tangled mess as she began to unbuckle her boot. She did not hear the door to the adjacent room open, and did not notice she had company until Setsuna threw herself down beside her on the bed.

"Blessed…I didn't hear you come in," Galaxia groaned, pressing a hand over her heart. "How is Absalom?"

"I have no idea," Setsuna said as she rolled onto her back. "Every time I ask a question I hear, 'It's complicated.'"

"Complicated," Galaxia muttered. She watched as Setsuna studied the ceiling, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and wondered who she was thinking about. "Complicated is a good word for all of this."

"It's still starting to be one of my least favorite words," Setsuna retorted with a little smile. Then she raised both eyebrows at Galaxia, and the smile grew into a grin. "You _still_ have feathers in your hair."

"Oh, you look like someone put your hair in a set off eggbeaters," Galaxia shot back, but her own smile could not be stopped.

"At least I don't look like a spray painted peacock! _Iie, iie,_ Galaxia, you put that pillow down…"


	44. Chapter 44

_Disclaimer: See chapters 1 through 43_

_A/N: Wee! I'm runnin', I'm runnin'! Sorry. Anyway, special thank yous go out to Isis Aurora Tomoe (we've got to get through Usagi and Minau before we can get to Hotaru and co., and yes there is a reason for Tamar's behavior, I think I'm going to start calling you the Goddess of Mojo) Lalaith Yamainu (everything is so messed up on Geshur that everyone is to blame for poor Tamar, and King Sivan will actually appear in the near future, and I thought you'd like this chapter especially because you brought up Pluto's wife recently) Girl Who Writes (Galaxia-Setsuna-Absalom was not planned but kind of happened and now I love it, and I never was a huge fan of the Starlights except when Haruka wanted to kill Seiya to be honest so I'm glad you like mine more) lolichan (I love you guys, too!) and of course, Bin82501 (Setsuna with people competing for her affections is a nice change for her, and sleep is so overrated!) _

They pushed against each other, once nine, now only six. Earth, Mars, and Venus had broken free. Another vessel awaited, and they all reached out hungrily, running their icy claws over her brain. She had fought them to the end. She had tried to take her own life to deny them. But by then it was too late. She could not raise a blade, could not fling herself from the window, and could not voice her terrible realizations. The sliver of darkness sank deep inside her and bound her to life while sucking away at her soul.

One body could not stand as a vessel for all the Abyss. Only one puppet master could inhabit each vessel. Not one of them would concede defeat, though, and they had spent so long fighting for one foothold that would let them defeat their erstwhile comrades. None had come into their way.

Until now.

The voices were nothing but vague murmurings. The eyes they had claimed could no longer move, and instead stared straight ahead into deep green darkness. They could not see who had entered the room but they could feel _it_.

_"…something…anything…just one piece…"_

A piece of one of them drew closer and, within her, they stretched out greedy hands.

_"…one piece…"_

The green lightened. A light had been turned on beyond the glass. Footsteps drew closer. They could hear two voices, one male and one female. The female sounded worried, and the male sad.

A scraping sound signaled the latch turning back.

_ "…one piece…"_

Light pierced the motionless eyes. They all hissed at the white radiance but they could not close her eyes anymore. The sliver of the Abyss held her hostage as it held them. Together, they were frozen.

"What do we say?" the male voice asked from above. He stood where her eyes could not see him, but they had heard his voice before. He would come often to stand over her.

"Nothing," the female answered. "We can't tell anyone. We decided that a long time ago."

"This is bigger than we thought. What if—?"

"Don't 'what if' yourself to death. We don't know any more than we did before. We keep it to ourselves."

"Things have changed," he said.

"Just…just wait. We'll wait just a little longer. We'll figure it out for ourselves. We don't have to involve them, not yet. If we're lucky, not ever."

"You could consider trusting them."

"I know you already want to trust them," the female said. "At least one of them."

"Not the point. Besides, right now I'm a lot less worried about enemies from outside, and a lot more worried about enemies from within."

"Don't pin your hopes on _their_ support, my friend, or we'll lose everything. We've already lost so much."

There was movement before her frozen eyes. They could all see a large hand, a white sleeve, gold cord, and something caught on one finger, something that fluttered and called to just one of them.

_"NO!"_ the five others roared. _"NO, NO, WHERE IS MINE?"_

The hand fell on the vessel's forehead for a moment. Then it disappeared, unwittingly leaving something behind, and the green glass closed again, the latch turned, and the voices began to move away.

It was quiet inside the glass box as well, quieter than the King of Pluto could ever remember. The others had instantly been cut off as he laid claims to this vessel. Once more he had ears and limbs and, most importantly, eyes of his own.

He blinked several times. The body had lain frozen for too long. He would not rise easily. He had time, though, time to regain the use of these limbs. It would not be long.

As he tried to move his new fingers he stared up at the glass over him. They had yet to turn out the light beyond. Gold glittered along the edges. The light scattered across the curves of the glass, leaving the inside the fluctuating greens of some thicket nestled within the dark, heavy leaves of summer.

The constant cold of Pluto took its toll. From that distance the warmth of Sol seemed like a shimmering, precious gem. He liked to get closer to it, even if just for a few moments. A visit to the barren White Moon gave him reason to bask in the sun's radiance while keeping an eye on Serenity and her Crystals.

And from the Moon he could see the Earth, and there, in the woods, he could see _her._

Sun-kissed skin. Pink lips. Eyes as green as the leaves around her. Golden hair adorned with flowers.

He wanted her.

He wanted to taste the sunlight on her skin and smell the flowers in her hair. The warmth of her smile, the tinkling of her laugh, he wanted all of it.

He had to wait until Gaia went to visit mighty Jupiter. Then he swept down on her planet, found the maiden he had watched, tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her sweet lips.

It was passion and desire and lust. He mistook it for something else. In the heat of one moment he told her he would make her a Queen.

He took the maiden from Earth to Pluto, and in the early throes of passion he ordered a throne of iron erected beside his own. They remained wrapped in black silk sheets until it was ready, feasting on each other and sweet red fruits. He lifted her into the throne and called her Queen Persephone.

Which of them was the bigger fool would always be a point of contention between them. So far from the sun, the flowers in her hair withered and died. Frost crept up as she sat on her iron throne, twisting in amongst her golden hair and draining the blood and sweetness from her lips. Skin kissed by sin and not the sun turned white.

So he turned from her.

_"Send me back! Send me home!"_

_ "There is no going back. You are a maiden no more."_

_ "You bastard! What did you do to me?"_

She was his bride, the Queen he had lifted up beside him, and he could not stand the sight of her.

_"I will never forgive you for this."_

_ "You are a Queen now. Isn't that what you wanted, _my love_?"_

He remembered her drawing close to him, her fingers twisting in the collar of his tunic, dead flower petals scattering from her tangled locks. She lifted her face until her cold lips could breathe against his ear.

_"Someday you will pay for this, my husband. Someday I will watch you suffer, and that alone will bring a smile back to my face."_

A vicious kiss led to a tearing of clothes. She had wrapped herself in his arms and together they desperately willed the warmth and passion back. But the bed became a battlefield of bites and snarls instead caresses and moans. In the end she pushed him away, pulled a sheet around herself, and left him there.

_"Chronos is the only thing you have to be proud of, my King. He is the only good thing you have ever done."_

Pluto ripped his mind from the past and his loathing wife. Instead he focused his will on making this weak mortal woman's hands work. He would rise from this glass coffin. He had no intention of ever returning to the torment and hell of the Abyss.

He would never give his dead Queen that victory.


	45. Chapter 45

_Disclaimer: See chapters 1 through 44_

_A/N: Alright, this is kind of a catch-up with Usagi and Minau chapter, but the conversations are actually of some importance to the story. A lot of importance, in fact. So thank yous go out to Bin82501 (thanks, working hard) Goddess of Mojo (you know who you are! Hades/Persephone has always been my favorite myth, I don't know why, but I'm glad everyone seems to have followed it, and of course I'm always glad you like it!) twilightm00n (fighting the gods is basically right, only the gods have also lost their marbles) Lalaith Yamainu (Mars/Myrina got the good love story, but there has to have been unhappy marriages as well when that much power and ambition are involved, and once wild passion cools, what's left? but I thought you would recognize the love to hate turned bit) Fiery Dancer (if I didn't keep you guys confused you would know what's coming next, and where's the fun in that?) and Mystra32 (you are right, and I will be going back and making it clear when Pluto is remembering about himself and Persephone, that was hard to sort out when re-read the next day, and I'm sorry you hate me, but I'm kinda loving it, too)_

It was not the sight of a sea of books and a pile of pictures scattered across a table that made Usagi's heart drop. How many hours had she spent just like this, cramming for exams as though she had not known they were coming? But never before had she studied and researched so desperately, and never had she done so without Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako.

Six days had passed since the destruction of her house. She had not spoken to her friends in over a week. From the day Ami had been revealed to her as one of her fellow Senshi, Usagi had never gone so long without even a phone call. In this life and the last her Guardians, her friends, had been with her before even Endymion.

She felt incredibly vulnerable.

She felt alone.

"I need Ami-chan," she whispered, pushing a book restlessly aside. "None of this makes any sense!"

A glance across the table gave her no answer. Minau had worked diligently with her for hours until her head began to droop over books she could barely read. Usagi finally took pity on her and released her to go to bed.

"It doesn't matter if it's two of us or one," Usagi muttered to herself, fighting the tears tugging at her eyes. She would not begin to cry again. "I'm getting nowhere. I'm so stupid!"

Slamming another book shut, she closed her eyes and let her head fall forward into her hands. For a moment her head was filled with nothing but silence and darkness, and she reveled in it. Her mad, dead grandmother did not cry out for revenge or justice, no terrible power threatened to burn away everything she touched, and the screams of Chibiusa in the hands of Mamoru's demented ancestress did not echo in her ears.

"This one's for the lonely, the ones that seek and find, only to be let down time after time."

Her eyes opened slowly. She dropped her hands to the table top and turned slightly around. The soft, sad voice sang again from the other room.

"This one's for the torn down, the experts at the fall, come on friends get up now, you're not alone at all."

Usagi rose from her knees and moved to the door leading into the bedroom. Minau had closed it behind her, but she had not latched it. A tiny crack let in a sliver of light to illuminate an empty bed.

"And this part was for her."

She slid the door open a little more and peeked in. No light showed under the bathroom door, either.

"And this part was for her."

The one window was open. The curtains had been drawn back but the moon shed no light that night. The silhouette of a slim young woman with unbound hair tumbling down her back could be barely made out against the stars in the sky.

"This part was for her, does she remember?"

Feeling no desire to speak, to stop the song, Usagi slid into the bedroom silently and closed the door behind her. Minau's head turned ever so slightly in acknowledgment. She knew Usagi was near. But she continued to stare up into the sky, probably trying to pinpoint where Inanna once shone in the sky, and a song kept flowing from her in a soft voice.

"It comes and goes in waves, and I…"

Usagi moved across the room to the other Princess. Minau sat on the edge of the windowsill, her feet dangling out over the grass and her head resting on the sill to her right. Usagi boosted herself up beside her, leaned her head on the sill to her left, let her right hand brush against Minau's left, and stared out in the expanse of trees and night sky with her.

"This one's for the faithless, the ones who are surprised."

They had settled into a small cottage outside of Tokyo. Ibuki Kengo had greeted her with surprise, but he remembered his little cousin Rei's friend from a particularly interesting incident involving the lake, a woman with silver-blue hair, and the idols the Three Lights. Usagi tried to explain why two teenage girls desperately needed a sanctuary as far away from any other humans as possible, but her words somehow choked in her throat, and she fell into miserable silence.

"They're only where they are now, regardless of their fight."

Kengo had looked from her to Minau. Both wore the clothes of young school girls, Usagi a white undress and Minau a gray skirt with pink shirt, and both looked fragile and tragic. She could see it in his eyes. He had let them in and asked no questions. When both shrank from his touch he showed no hurt. She was afraid to guess what he believed they were hiding from. Instead he announced that he would be glad for two house-sitters, as he was on his way to an art show. Usagi did not believe him, but she liked him all the more for the little white lie. He would, she guessed, be staying with friends, or perhaps in a hotel. It tortured her to think she had forced someone from his own home, but for the safety of all of Tokyo, she had no choice.

"This one's for believing, if only for its sake."

Like she had no choice to send away her family, hiding in a hotel whose name she did not allow them to tell her…

Like she had no choice but to cut ties with her beloved friends, because if the Queen of the Moon saw their ancestors inside of them…

Like she had no choice but to stay away even as the desperate Senshi of other systems Luna told her about prepared to fight…

She had no choice.

But she had faith.

"Come on friends get up now, love is to be made."

All those faces in the Abyss had ripped their own eyes from their sockets. They could not take the torture of the madness and so they had become it. They were blinded not only to their own horror, but to the beauty of what the Silver Millennium and their descendants became.

They believed in nothing anymore.

_I believe in us._

Though Minau was crying again, her voice shook only with the love for those lost. Her voice held no fear. Her eyes showed no weakness as they changed, always beautiful, from one color to the next, and Usagi knew they were there, in her memories and her heart.

"And this part was for her."

Soft green.

Sailor Mehrdad.

Shahdi.

"And this part was for her."

Deep violet.

Sailor Kaspar.

Farideh.

"And this part was for her."

Brilliant blue.

Sailor Assim.

Darya.

"Does she remember?"

Delicate pink.

Sailor Taraneh.

Princess Minau.

She would always remember, and no one, not even the Abyss, could ever take that away.

"It comes and goes in waves, and I am only led to wonder why."

They chased each other through Usagi, the fear, the hope, the grief, the joy, the doubt, and the faith. One would well up in her heart only to be swept away by the next. The sky loomed large over their heads, and for the first time she truly appreciated how vast the galaxy truly was.

"It comes and goes in waves, and I am only led to wonder why."

Yet the stars looked so tiny, and so very far away, and the darkness of the forest weighed on them, two small young women in a tiny cottage.

"Why I try."

Usagi turned her head away.

"Serenity?" Minau murmured in some surprise. "I'm sorry. You don't like my song?"

"It's…very pretty," Usagi whispered. "I understand, I think. You feel them close, your Senshi, even though you know they've gone away. Is that it?"

"Yes…no. I don't know. Have they really gone away?"

"Everything that lives must die," Usagi said simply. "My mother told me that once. Queen Serenity, I mean."

"Is it hard?" Minau asked. "Having two mothers?"

"I've always felt blessed," Usagi admitted with a smile. "Mama, the one you've met, she loves me and trusts me, even after what she's seen me do. And my mother the Queen, well, I was all she had after my father died. She said she gave me her own name for the same reason her mother had done so. She said I was the best of Serenity, the woman, and not just the Queen. She loved me more than anything."

"My mother named me Minau because it was the name of my father's favorite character from a book."

Usagi glanced from the corner of her eye to meet pink eyes with a decided twinkle to them. A smile pulled at her lips. She gave in to the laughter, and Minau joined her in a tinkling melody of giggles.

"She was a very beautiful and strong woman," Minau added in defense of her father. "She was a warrior. Darya _always_ reminded me of that when I failed with weapons."

"Darya was good with weapons?"

"Darya _loved_ weapons," Minau said with a sigh. "Her room had swords and shields and glaives and pikes and daggers and a really big bow. But her favorite was always the Assim Spear. It stood almost a foot taller than her, and it had long blue ribbons that floated around her when she went through her patterns."

Usagi drew one leg up to her chest, wrapping an arm around it and resting her chin on her knee. "Tell me about Farideh."

The other girl let out a slow breath. "Farideh was the beautiful one. She had hair somewhere between red and black, and dark purple eyes. She danced beautifully. Once, when we were too young to go to the Midsummer Festival, she tried to sneak out to see the dancing. But Darya knew she was going and waited under her window for her to crawl out. She was very angry."

"Darya believed in rules?" Usagi guessed.

"Oh, _no,_ not in the least. _Shahdi_ believed in rules. Darya was angry that Farideh did not ask her to sneak out, too."

Grinning, Usagi nodded. She could see the same argument happening perhaps between the Princesses of Venus and Jupiter. "Were they caught by their parents?"

"Far, _far_ worse than that," Minau muttered ominously. "They were caught by Shahdi. I woke up because I could hear them arguing out in the hallway. Shahdi kept telling them that they were supposed to be guarding their Princess. How could they guard me from dangers if they could not tear themselves away from something as frivolous as dancing? I went out to hear what was happening, and I became very angry as well. I asked them, 'How could you go without me?'"

Usagi burst out laughing. "What did they say?"

"They both blamed Shahdi. She refused to speak to them for nearly three days." Minau smiled. "Two years later we were old enough. The music on Taraneh…all the other worlds said our music was like strong drink. It can make you dance until you forget anything but the pounding of drums in your feet and the rhythms in your body. Of course, there was also plenty of wine and food. Shahdi found the wine very, very delicious. She also found several of the young men very nice, too. She danced for hours and hours, always with another young man, just spinning from one to another. We were to go to bed at midnight. Shahdi always watched the clock at parties or festivals, but half an hour after midnight she was still dancing. Only the young man she was dancing with right then kept whispering in her ear, and then she started nodding. Darya stomped right over to her, grabbed her arm, and announced that it was bed time. Farideh and I were trying very hard not to laugh, but Darya just pointed at us and shouted, 'March!' We marched."

The windowsill was the only thing holding Usagi up as she laughed. "Poor Shahdi! Was she embarrassed the next day?"

"We couldn't tell. She kept a pillow over her head and cursed Inanna for shining too brightly. Then she cursed Darya ten times more for feeling the need to replay the drumming we had heard the night before on her bedroom door."

"Oh, that was awful of her!" Usagi gasped. "It's exactly what Rei would do to me, though."

Minau giggled for a few moments more, but it slowly faded to quiet. "I miss them."

The smile slipped away, but Usagi tried to hide her own pain that understood Minau very well. "I know."

"I don't feel like they've gone away. I feel them behind me, and beside me, and all around me. Is that strange? You see, I've never lost a friend before."

"Never?" Usagi asked in some surprise.

"Never. I lost my grandmother, but I was very small and I don't remember her."

"I don't think it's strange," Usagi whispered, "but…they are gone, Minau. You know that, right?"

"I do not expect to find them behind me," Minau explained. "I just think I can almost hear them. I know what I hear is just the memories of their voices, but I'm afraid that I might…I might forget their voices."

"You probably will," was the soft answer. "Someday you will realize that, perhaps, you can no longer remember just the tone of Shahdi's voice. Or one day you will have to search in your mind to remember the shape of Farideh's face, or if Darya held her spear with her right hand on top or her left hand. Things will slip away.

"But someday you'll see a blue ribbon fluttering in the breeze and you'll hear Darya tell you to be strong. Someday there will be drums and you might dance because Farideh is telling you to take that risk. And you will someday be faced with a hard choice, and that choice will be a little easier because you know what Shahdi would advise you to do."

There was silence for some long minutes, then Minau asked quietly, "Do you hear your mother's voice?"

"All the time," Usagi said. "I hear her even when my grandmother is screaming madness in my head. Sometimes I think it is the only thing that is keeping me sane."

She felt more than saw Minau nod. "You know that she cannot protect you in your dreams, though, don't you? That's why you won't sleep."

"I was almost killed in my sleep," Usagi reminded her. "And something terrible was put in me."

"Is it that?" Minau asked. "Or is it her?"

"Her?" Usagi echoed uncertainly. "What do you mean?"

"When you do sleep, you speak," Minau muttered apologetically. "You keep calling out, 'Small Lady'. Who is Small Lady?"

"I call out for her?" Usagi whispered. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"You try not to sleep," Minau reminded her. "I beg you to close your eyes, but you will not until you cannot keep them open. Then you sleep at the table or on the floor. I worried that if I told you…I should not have said anything."

Usagi turned her head away and stared into the woods. The nightmares had come as no surprise. Only a monster would not relive in terror the screams of her unborn daughter as an eyeless _bitch_ tried to grind her out of existence. What frightened her was the rage that came with the dreams.

_What would I risk to end it all?_ Usagi wondered. _Myself? I would risk my life and soul for this galaxy. My Senshi? I would never have to ask. They will follow me even if I don't want them too. Mamo-chan? It would be his choice as well, of course, and there is no doubt what he would do. The Shitennou? They would follow him, and the Senshi. It would not be for me to make that choice._

She remembered the dream, and the blood dripping from between Gaia's fingers, and she remembered snatching the Flame from her grandmother's grasp and hurling all its power at the woman who threatened a tiny life not yet even conceived.

_I will _never_ risk my Small Lady. Not for the galaxy. Not for anything._

The certainty that went with that rage, the knowledge that she not only could, but would, use the Flame, frightened her more than anything she had ever faced before.

Always Chibiusa had been the future, something from far away. She looked at Usagi as a sister, not as her mother. The feeling was reciprocated for so long, but recently…

"I am her _mother,_" Usagi whispered, testing the word. "She is my _daughter._ Someday she will grow _inside_ me. Someday…Mamoru and I will make a _child._"

"Your daughter?"

Eyes widening, Usagi looked quickly to her right, at a young woman with pink hair. It was not the same pink, but it filled her with something warm. She offered Minau a wan smile.

"It's a very long story," she muttered. "_Gomen._ But she is…very precious to me."

"I know. I hear you say her name," Minau reminded her. "And you have not slept in two days, Serenity. You will collapse again soon. Perhaps if you sleep without falling to exhaustion you will not have nightmares."

Usagi doubted it, but Minau was not wrong. She was bordering on collapse. She needed sleep.

And perhaps, instead of nightmares, she might dream of a Prince who might be dreaming of her, too.

"Alright," Usagi sighed. She turned and dropped back into the bedroom. "I will sleep, but I want you to get some rest, too."

Usagi saw the other Princess give her an appreciative smile even as she moved to the bed. She barely took the time to remove her socks. She did not bother looking for pajamas. She fell weakly across the mattress and lay on her stomach, her face buried in one pillow.

Minau did not leave the window right away. Instead Usagi heard her take a deep breath, probably staring up into the sky or out in the woods again, and begin to sing again.

"This is for the ones who stand, for the ones who try again, for the ones who need a hand, for the ones who think they can."

It wasn't a sad song, really. She liked it. It soothed her mind and her soul. It might, even, chase the nightmares away.

"It comes and goes in waves, and I am only left to wonder why."

Such a nice song…

Such a comfortable bed…

Were those footsteps?

The blanket settled around her, chasing the little chill from the open window away.

"It comes and goes in waves, and I am only left to wonder why."

Minau's voice came from directly above her, then the footsteps again, and something sliding.

"Why I try."

Usagi fell into a quiet sleep, and did not hear Minau slip her shoes on and leave the cottage.

_A/N again: For those of you unfamiliar with the more popular songwriters of the Inanna system, "Comes and Goes in Waves" is by Greg Laswell. I tossed around a lot of options, including Within Temptation and Loreena McKennitt, but somehow this worked for me._


	46. Chapter 46

_Disclaimer: See chapters 1 through 45_

_A/N: No, no, not running out of juice, just running low on time recently! I'm still writing! See? Uh, anyway, special thanks go out to Isis Aurora Tomoe (see, mojo is still working!) Bin82501 (I love that song, glad you do too) Fiery Dancer (I was going for gravitas, so hopefully we're both using the word correctly, and I'm happy you got that) luna (yes, yes, more is here for you) and of course, astra-kelly (I will do my best to keep you speechless)_

Perhaps it was the artist in him, but Ibuki Kengo could barely keep his eyes on the road as he drove through the night. He loved beauty, but he desperately wanted to understand it. He wanted to be able to capture the memory of beauty and bring it back to share with the world. But he could not do that this time. Her beauty eluded him every time he tried to draw or paint or carve her face. Her eyes were the problem, really, because Kengo would have been willing to swear that they changed colors.

Kengo glanced sideways yet again at Minau. She sat with her face turned slightly away, but he could at least enjoy her delicate profile. He wondered, yet again, where she came from. He thought he could hear a slight accent in her voice but she never stumbled or stuttered over her words. He had never seen skin that color, either, like gold dust on cream colored silk. Her body was slender. He liked the way she moved, always graceful, and the way she held her head high like a princess.

Suddenly, Minau sat forward and pointed out the window. "There! Kengo, there!"

The car slowed as Kengo leaned forward to peer past her across the street. Tokyo was dark. It had been late when he heard Minau's voice on the phone, but he had not been asleep. She wanted to know how best to find her way back to Tokyo. She did not want to wait until the morning. She did not want to ask Usagi to take her. She appeared to think she could walk back, or that someone along the way would give her a ride. Both these options sounded like disasters waiting to happen to Kengo, so he sighed and agreed to come get her. One glance at her troubled face had stilled the questions he should have asked. They had not spoken except Minau's sporadic directions.

"Are you sure this is it?" Kengo asked. He eyed their destination uncertainly. "It looks like every other alley in Tokyo."

"This is the right one," Minau whispered, more to herself than to him. "This is where Inanna escaped from the darkness. This is where I met Serenity."

"You met who?"

Minau looked his way with those elusive eyes, so big and dark they might not have a pupil at all. Or perhaps they were all pupil. They looked black.

Instead of answering him, she spun back to her own door, her sunrise colored hair whipping him in the face. Her fingers fumbled with the door handle, which gave Kengo time to completely stop the car. After several frustrated hisses Minau hit the door with her open palm.

"Open!"

"Minau, it's that little lever there, pull it towards yourself," Kengo said.

She caught the door handle and leapt from the car as he turned off the engine and frowned after her.

"You'd think she'd never been in a car before."

Kengo hurried to the mouth of the alley. Minau stood with her back to him, her head moving slowly from left to right. He watched, fascinated, as her hands fluttered out in front of her. Streetlights, buildings, and garbage cans slashed the light and shadow into thin bars, dancing down the length of that alley. Minau moved slowly, her fingers drifting across the shadows like the strings of a harp or the keys of a piano. He stepped closer until he could see her face.

Intensity carved furrows between her brows. Her lashes covered most of her eyes. She tipped her head a little to one side and bit her lip, and he knew she was _listening._

What frightened him most was the sudden conviction that if he listened, he, too, could hear something in the wind.

"Minau," Kengo whispered. "Minau, please tell me what we're doing here. You said it was important."

"Hush," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "I'm listening."

"_Hai,_ I can see that," Kengo agreed. "What are you, uh, listening for?"

"Memories."

_Kami,_ Kengo thought, grabbing his forehead with on hand. _There was a reason Usagi wanted her away from the rest of Tokyo, and now I'm starting to know why._

Minau jerked upright. Her eyes snapped open and her hands stilled. A tiny smile lifted one corner of her mouth.

"I can hear them."

"Can you?" Kengo muttered politely. "That's good. Whose memories are you trying to find? Your…your own?"

This regained Minau's attention for a moment, but only for as long as it took her to give him a glance that showed she clearly thought _he_ was the mad one.

"Of course not," she said. "Why should I search for my own memories? I need someone else's memories."

"Someone else left their memories here," Kengo repeated. "And that someone else would be?"

She turned away, her voice barely a whisper.

"Ghosts."

His brows shot straight up. "Ghosts?"

"Now please, hush!" she begged distractedly.

As she moved further into the alley Kengo threw a longing glance at his car. She had said only that she needed to go to Tokyo to find something. At no point did she mention that something was the memories of ghosts. But he had promised to take her, and he believed the second he let her into his car he became responsible for her. So he sighed and followed her into the shadows.

Minau reached the other end where a fence stood and stopped so suddenly that he almost walked into her back. She stared at the fence in some confusion, even raising a hand and pushing at it as though testing its solidity. Her hands fell back to her sides and she drew a long, slow breath. Kengo stepped back and waited warily. She was so still for nearly a minute that he automatically reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

She moved, dipping and turning slowly. He thought she was turning to him, but she moved on, spinning around again and again. Her arms rose up over her head, crossing at her wrists, and her waist swayed as her hair followed her in a long, lazy arch. Her toes drew figures that her body flowed into. Then she spun back the other way, a little faster, her fingers trailing across the fence.

Perhaps she was insane, but as Kengo watched her silently dancing along that fence line in a dirty alley he realized he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

Minau stilled with one finger crooked around a link in the fence. She turned her head and smiled again, whispering, "Of course. That is how she would have done it."

Under Kengo's startled gaze she wrapped the rest of her fingers through the fence and pulled. A gap appeared, a large one, that had been invisible only a moment before. Time and weather had weakened those links so that they came away from the brick wall with easily enough room for Minau to slide through.

Which she proceeded to do, much to Kengo's exasperation. He pulled at the fence in the same area and studied the opening. His more substantial form would never fit through it. He groaned, took a few steps back, then ran at the fence. One jump brought him almost to the top. He flipped himself over the top without problem and dropped down on the other side under Minau's wide gaze.

"You are very athletic," she noted. "Darya would like you."

A tiny bit of masculine pride made Kengo smile. "I'm sure I'd like to meet Darya, too. Who is she?"

Minau's eyes dropped.

"A ghost."

He was prepared for her to take off running again, and easily kept pace a few steps behind her. They raced together past more apartment buildings, then turned sharply onto another street. Kengo prayed that no one would happen to glance out their windows at just this moment and see a man chasing a young woman through Tokyo, especially when she spun around on her toes, her face caught in fierce concentration as she continued to _listen_. The arrival of others on this scene would, at least, involve some uncomfortable questions.

Then Minau was off again, running faster, one hand in front of her as though she was trying to catch something. Still Kengo followed her, down more streets and around more corners. He no longer had any idea where his car was. His lungs had begun to burn, and his legs desperately wanted to slow. But Minau took another corner and he followed.

She stopped suddenly again, her hands falling. Kengo slowed to a halt beside her. Minau swayed suddenly, grabbing onto his arm, and he automatically put the other around her waist to keep her upright. She gasped for air, her hair stuck to her face from the sweat that dripped off her. He could feel her left leg, pressed against his, trembling violently.

"Minau, you _have_ to stop," he whispered. "You're going to hurt yourself. Can't you tell me anything else about these…these ghosts?"

"I cannot," she said. "You would not understand."

"Who are they?" Kengo insisted, giving her a tiny shake. "_What _are you looking for?"

"She thinks I brought something bad with me," Minau said. Her eyes continued to search the shadows, yet she gripped his arm tighter and leaned into him. "She thinks it let me go. She thinks it _wanted_ to let me go."

"Alright," Kengo murmured, rubbing a soothing circle across her back. "Okay, but I know that you didn't do anything wrong, Minau."

"She's right."

Kengo just nodded more. "Alright, okay, it's going to be okay."

"It _used_ me," she whimpered. "It used all that is left of us. But they…they protected me, even after they were nothing but ashes and whispers in my memories. They were there with me. They led me away to that place because…because another memory still clung there. A wisp of our songs. Inanna's memory of her children called me there."

Not one word made any sense to Kengo, but he did not argue. He merely held her upright against his side as she stared blindly ahead and shook. Whatever demons plagued the poor girl needed to be released, even if only through confused, senseless words that tumbled free from her mouth.

"Shadhi would have been the one to recognize Inanna's song. She would have been the one to take me to that place. And Farideh would have been the one to get me as far away from the danger as possible. She would have brought me this way. But Darya…she would have been the one to send us running. Darya would have been the one to cover our escape. She would have been the one…who stayed behind."

The slender body in his hands stiffened suddenly. She blinked, then looked around in some surprise. Her eyes, dazzling pink, flashed up to his, only a few inches away, and she nearly leapt back from him.

"_Gomen!_" Kengo cired, stepping back with a little bow. "I didn't mean to—"

"Oh, please, do not apologize!" Minau gasped. "I should not have…I did not mean to…I was thinking out loud."

"_Iie, iie,_ it's fine, it's, uh, I'm just glad I could…" He gestured helplessly with one hand as he scrambled for a way to finish that statement. _I'm just glad I could keep up with your mad dash across half of Tokyo long enough to keep you from killing yourself with exhaustion and then clutch you, a girl I do not really know, against me while listening to a completely insane monologue_, seemed, to him, like a bit of a mouthful. So he gave an awkward smile and said nothing else.

Both used the ensuing uncomfortable silence to glance around and take in their surroundings. Kengo was not particularly familiar with this area, but he realized they had broken free of the apartment buildings. Shops lined the opposite street, while they appeared to be standing directly in front of a large building that brought back memories of homework, hormones, and humiliation.

"What is this?" Minau asked, pointing to the building.

"A high school," Kengo sighed. He spotted the sign in front of the doors and added, "Azabu Juban High School."

"A…school?" Minau frowned uncertainly. "But if this is the way Farideh would have led me…then I must have come from there. My capsule is somewhere in a school?"

Kengo had no answer to that, having no idea what capsule she spoke of, and so he only shrugged helplessly.

And he followed just as helplessly as Minau approached the school, thankful that at least they had slowed to a walk.

"It won't be open this late at night," he told her softly. Something about the dark sky and the quiet surrounding them kept his voice hushed. "We can't get in there."

"But I must get in! If Serenity is right then my capsule is dangerous! I have to—"

She fell silent suddenly, and both turned towards the sound of more voices. Perhaps it was merely the lingering adrenaline of their mad flight through the city, or perhaps it was because someone else out this late in just this place seemed like an impossible unlucky coincidence, but Kengo caught Minau's arm and tugged her towards the shadows. She followed him without question and the two tucked themselves close to the wall and watched.

Three figures materialized from the darkness. A fair haired young man led the way in a blue shirt and jeans. Following close behind him came a girl no older than thirteen with long pigtails only a shade lighter than Minau's hair tumbling down over a red blouse and black pants. Lastly, a boy somewhere between the two in age walked with his head tipped back, the stars reflecting in his thick glasses and illuminating a soft yellow shirt.

"I don't see the Moon up there," he murmured in a low, husky voice. A grin spread across his face. "Do you think she knows we're here?"

"She doesn't," the older boy said. "Not yet. We're going to keep it that way."

"Why, Gaia?" the girl said with exaggerated surprise. "Are you afraid of the brat?"

The blond boy, the one she called Gaia, turned to face her. He eyed her with faint pity. "Have you looked in a mirror lately, Mars? Have you seen just how weak you are right now?"

"At least your pretty," the young, bespectacled boy cut in. "I look hideous."

"Your face may not be quite as lovely as before, Venus—"

"Do not patronize me, Gaia. You still have your waters and your flowers and your trees, and Mars still has his annoying little temper tantrums. But I _was_ beauty. I _was_ lust and desire. And now…"

Venus gestured angrily at the plain face and thick glasses.

"Perhaps if you had cultivated something more than your face when we had unlimited powers," Mars said with a vicious smirk, "you might still have something to fall back on. And if you refer to my skills in battle as temper tantrums again you'll be losing another pair of eyes."

A smile like the slash of a blade crossed Venus's face. "You're not that frightening like this, my love. But feel free to try your hand. Come at me."

"You're still using that line, you little harlot?" Mars muttered.

"And you're still clinging to the memory of your precious little _mortal_. She turned to dust a long, long time ago," Venus added. The cruelty in that smile seemed out of place on the plain young man's face. "Then again, I know you saw _her_ smile in that portrait. A piece of her still remains. Shall you take that for yourself?"

"You're disgusting."

"Enough," Gaia spat at them. "The vessel serves its purpose, Venus, and no one will be looking for you in _that._"

The other two turned to glare at the blond youth.

"You do not give _us_ orders, Gaia," Venus hissed. "Watch yourself."

"Ah, but we are on _my_ turf, aren't we?" Gaia shot back. "You may leave, if you choose, but you will have little luck without me."

Mars laughed without one ounce of warmth. "And what luck will we have with you, while that whelp holds your crystal? Until you are ready to rip it out of his chest, you are without power."

"Feel free to rip it out of his chest," Gaia said with the utmost cordiality. "About a second later I'll cut Myrina's smile off that little bitch's face."

"What are we doing here?" Venus sighed as Mars took a step towards Gaia. "What is this place?"

Gaia's eyes stayed locked with Mars for a moment longer, then flickered to the school. "We need something from our own. Just one piece. We can find some here. I can _feel_ the others, their blood running strong in young bodies within this place. Not now, during the day…they will be here. And so will we."

"A piece in here?" Venus whispered, moving swiftly closer to run trembling fingers over the smooth wall. "You think we will find more of ourselves in here?"

"You don't get more than one vessel, Venus," Gaia interrupted. "We need the others."

"Perhaps it isn't a golden hair Venus is looking for," Mars said slowly. "Perhaps she's hoping for a blue one."

"And what if I am?"

"Well, now, this I did not expect!" Mars cried with raised brows. "What a loyal wife you are, searching for a way to free your husband."

Venus turned from the building, and the face under those thick glasses was hard as ice. "Not all of us are forever moaning over the loss of a lover, Mars. We need Mercury's genius."

"We do," Gaia agreed, although reluctantly. "We'll need him first. In the day children will flow through these halls, and we can slip in amongst them. Give us a few days and the Moon brat will find herself surrounded by our blades before she ever has a chance to master the Flame."

"We need more than just a piece of the children," Venus said in some exasperation. "Have you thought of that?"

"Do you really think only three shards fell off that piece of Taraneh?" Gaia said, and a smile like slow poison spread across the young man's face. "We'll be back soon."

The first of the figures turned and melted back into the darkness. Venus would have followed, but Mars stepped up suddenly and seized his chin between two fingers, forcing their eyes to meet.

"I saw Myrina's smile in that portrait under eyes as violet as my own," Mars hissed almost against Venus's lips, "but I know you saw Mercury's blue eyes in your face. How did that feel?"

"Like a black slug on a beautiful blossom," Venus said, brushing the hand away. "I was perfect. I didn't _need_ his eyes."

Venus slipped into the shadows after Gaia. Mars stood silently for a moment, then shrugged and followed the other two away.

Kengo finally released Minau's arm, but she did not move away from him. She stared after the three strangers with her shoulder still leaning against the school. Then she looked at the building itself.

"My friends' memories led me to this place," she whispered. "And something brought them as well. This is a very strange school."

"Did any of that make sense to you?" Kengo asked.

"Only the words Abyss and Taraneh," Minau admitted, chewing her lower lip with an adorable frown. "I wonder who Myrina was."

"I wonder who that boy's _husband_ is," Kengo shot back. "That was even stranger than listening to y—uh, crazy people."

Minau touched the side of the building with a sad longing. "You do not think we can get in tonight?"

"_Iie,_" he said firmly. "It's locked up tight, and Minau, I will _not_ break into a school."

"I suppose not," she sighed. "Please take me back, Kengo. We will have to return tomorrow during the day."

He blanched at these words. "Minau, we can't just walk into a school, even in the daytime."

"But _they_ are coming back in the daytime," she pointed out in innocent confusion. "Why can we not?"

Kengo opened his mouth, then let it close as he wrestled with how best to reason with Minau. "Why do you need to get into the school?"

"Somewhere in here is my capsule," she reminded him. "I must find it. That boy said there are more shards. I must see for myself. Do you understand?"

"Not one word," he told her, "so I'm going to take you back, and we're going to discuss this with Usagi, and we'll figure out what to do next."

She only let out a tiny sigh and did not protest as Kengo took her hand and towed her back the other way. Neither glanced back at the school.

Neither saw a young woman with long pink pigtails watching them walk away.


	47. Chapter 47

_Disclaimer: Let me think…nope, nope, not mine, unless you don't recognize the character, then, well, that one might be mine._

_A/N: I might be about to disappoint a few people with the identity of the pink pigtails, and for that I apologize. Special thanks go, of course, to Isis Aurora Tomoe (Kengo is pretty taken with Minau, and she needs her a prince of her own) SammieAtHome (see, you're gonna be disappointed, and I feel bad, but I hope you can like this chapter anyway) and astra-kelly (yup, Venus got stuck in Melvin/Umino, that seemed very funny to me, and working in a body snatcher reference might be hard, but I'll try)_

A hand brushed over his brow, and a low, husky voice whispered, "He has a beautiful face. And a magnificent body. Powerful, but with the hands of an artist."

_I am an artist,_ he thought, but his lips would not move. Nothing moved. Pain lanced through his head and chest. Every breath felt like fire racing into his lungs. He heard bodies moving around him, circling him like sharks, and a wetness dripping from his temple led him to guess that there was blood enough to tempt them.

"Stop fondling the boy," someone else hissed. "A body like that, though, don't you think it would be better for Jupiter?"

"You will not!" the first voice shouted, and he felt himself dragged upwards until he lay clutched against a warm chest. "We are agreed, this body is for Mercury!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Venus, there will be others—"

"This one is for my _husband!_"

"I thought you were not forever moaning over the loss of a lover? I thought you didn't care what became of Mercury?"

The arms wrapped too tightly around him shook, but whatever might have been the response never came as Kengo groaned against the pressure on his wounded ribs. Immediately, he found himself on his back again, and two hands grasped his face.

"He's awake."

He felt his eyelid pulled up, and his eye reluctantly focused on the faces hovering over him. To the left was the face of a plain young man, now bare of glasses to show a pair of glowing golden eyes.

"He's alive," Venus muttered, slapping his cheek lightly. "Despite your best efforts."

Kengo's one working eye rolled to the right and landed on the face of a pretty girl with violet eyes and pink pigtails long enough to brush his face. Those eyes studied him dispassionately, and it struck him for an instant that they were just the same shade as his cousin Rei's.

"He's alive," Mars agreed, "but can he speak?"

"Sweetheart," Venus cooed, recapturing his attention, "you would do well to speak. You do not want Mars trying to drag it out of you."

With a herculean effort, Kengo forced his other eye open, but then closed both when the number of faces over his doubled.

"He's slipping unconscious again," Mars noted with a sigh.

A scream wrenched itself free of Kengo's throat almost before the complete agony from his chest burst in on him. Something slipped in, under his flesh, and _twisted._ He tried to lash out with his right hand but could barely raise it. His eyes opened wide and rolled desperately to convey his consciousness.

"And he's back," Mars muttered pleasantly. The twisting stopped, leaving nothing more than weak aftershocks of pain. A lock of pink hair was brushed back, the fingers leaving wet red marks across the delicate, pale forehead. "Can you speak?"

He nodded.

"I can't hear you," Mars whispered.

Kengo felt a little hand move against his side, and frightened words tumbled out of his mouth.

"Stop it, stop it, please, stop, who are you, what do you want, where is she—"

"She?" Venus murmured in some surprise. "You mean the pretty girl? Who is she?"

"I don't…I don't understand," Kengo gasped.

"Who," Mars said very slowly, leaning into his line of vision again, "is your little friend? Who is she to you?"

"My…my girlfriend," Kengo lied, though he did not know why. "She is my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend," Mars echoed uncertainly, glancing across at Venus.

"His lover. Am I right?"

"_H…hai._ My…we're…together," Kengo whispered. "Where is she?"

"Why were you following us?" Mars asked over him. "I saw the two of you leave together. You must have been spying."

"We weren't."

"Little boy, it isn't polite to _lie._"

"_PLEASE! Please, I'm not, stop it, please!"_

"He might be telling the truth," Venus's voice murmured from somewhere far beyond the red haze of agony. "And we do need this body in working order, Mars."

"Then why," another twist made Kengo claw helplessly at the ground, "were the two of you there, if not spying on us?"

"A walk, we were walking, just walking, please stop, please, please, please!"

They were fingers under his flesh, Mars's fingers, slowly pushing deeper into the wound already there, and they did not appear satisfied with this answer.

"A walk that late at night? That seems a little convenient."

"Stop it now, Mars," Venus hissed. "The boy took his lady love somewhere dark and secluded. Do the match."

Kengo was allowed to collapse again as Mars turned those violet eyes on Venus. The two fell into quiet conversation over his body as Kengo scrambled to think. They would not tell him where Minau was. She could be injured, she could be…

Images flashed through his mind.

_Minau stared out the window of his car as Tokyo receded. _

_The door to his cabin was opened by a pale and frightened Usagi. _

_A moment before Minau entered he held her hand for just a second and, for some reason, bowed over it, and kissed her fingers as if she were some princess. _

_A girl in red and black with pigtails appeared in the headlights. _

_He jerked the wheel to avoid her. _

_A crash._

_Flying glass. _

_Blackness._

"So you merely picked the wrong place to go for a walk," Mars said, suddenly addressing him again. "A pity for you, but we should be able to patch this shell up enough for someone to use it for a little while."

"Well?" a third voice stated suddenly from the shadows. "Who was the girl?"

"His lover," Venus said, turning to look at the newcomer.

The one they called Gaia stepped into his vision and looked down with bottomless blue eyes.

"You have a rather bad luck, young man," Gaia murmured without an ounce of pity. "But you are lucky for us. And you are already full of holes, so we won't need to make another one for _this._"

It was a tiny sliver of something like crystal so black it should draw in even the light. It did not shimmer under the stars. His blood ran cold as Gaia knelt at his side.

"What about Mercury?" Venus whispered fiercely. "We do not have a piece of the child."

"We will get one," Gaia said without glancing up. "Here, right near your heart. That is a good place to get in a hold."

"_Iie,_" Kengo moaned, and suddenly he could, in fact, move, swinging out an arm that Mars caught in a grip too powerful for those little hands. "_Iie,_ please, whatever that is, take it away, please, I won't speak of it to anyone—"

Gaia slid the sliver of darkness into a cut across his chest.

Hands clutched at him from inside, fingers ripping at his insides and at his soul, and he screamed again as the voices began to hiss inside his head.

_"Find something…anything…just one piece…"_


	48. Chapter 48

_A/N: Alright, short version: I had begun to beat myself up over my writing, convinced that everything had to be poetic or lyrical or whatever. I read novels with great reviews and suddenly I convinced myself _that_ was the "right" way to write, so I tried to force myself to write like someone else. Strangely enough, this is not a fun way to write. I literally stared at the screen for hours and could not get more than a few words out, and I don't mean just this story. I could not get anything out. Then, suddenly, I was laboring over an original work and I remembered that this character was a bit like Jadeite, and what you all like about Jadeite and the boys is that they are funny and fun. So here's my advice to writers young and old…Write what you love, because it is what you love. Also, don't read the reviews on the back of books. Of course they're all good, that's how they sell the book! :-P_

They looked so happy that it cut straight to her heart. Hotaru stood with the Quartet and their Princess and watched as the Firsts, the Ancients, the ancestors of them all gathered once again before the Moon Palace. They had appeared the same way they did the day before, but this time they brought more than just a small bubble of their worlds with them. This time they brought their families.

Children and spouses joined the crowd amongst the Kings and Queens, laughing and calling to one another. Within moments of their arrival Neptune had wrapped her arm affectionately around Myrina, the wife of Mars, both of them stepping back quickly to avoid a boy with blue hair and eyes darting through the crowd, trailed closely by a girl his age with a long brown braid like Jupiter's. Mercury paused in his discussion with Earth's husband to shout out a reprimand that neither child heeded in the least. The man before him turned to follow his gaze with eyes just as crimson as Chibiusa's. Hotaru heard her friend gasp at the sight of those eyes, but when she looked a smile trembled on Chibiusa's lips.

"I always wanted to know why my eyes are this color," she explained softly. "Both Mama and Papa have blue eyes…people always said I don't look like them, but…but I look like _him._"

"You look like them both," Hotaru reassured her, gesturing between Earth and her husband. "And like Serenity. Don't let anyone ever say you don't."

"Euandra, stop that!"

The Senshi of the future looked quickly back down the steps again to see a miniature version of Rei in scarred silver armor standing directly behind another of Venus and Mercury's sons, this one as golden haired as his mother, with his arm twisted rather uncomfortably behind his back. It had been Mars who called his daughter to order while both his wife and Venus merely looked on, the Queen shaking her head and the mortal woman smirking. Euandra released the boy with a glower, stepping back and away from him. He took a moment to test his arm, then spun quickly and planted a kiss directly on her cheek. She shrieked with rage and he ran for all he was worth.

"Fly, Eros, fly!" several of the young people shouted after him.

A cry of welcome echoed amongst their ranks as the dark portal of Pluto began to open. Pluto rose from the depths, then took a step to the right and watched with simple pride as a young man, barely more than a teenager, followed behind him. His armor echoed his father's, though he wore his hair shorter and his eyes were wider, kinder…younger. This, Hotaru knew, was Chronos, father of the Sailor Pluto they knew. Chronos smiled generally around at the others, then turned back to the portal just as a third figure appeared. The hand that Chronos took was white as snow against the black sleeve of her gown. Pale gold hair was twisted tight against her head, then allowed to cascade in a long tail over one shoulder until it almost touched the ground. Almost before Chronos led her a step away the portal closed from a negligent wave of Pluto's staff. The King did not even glance in his wife's direction but instead turned with a broad smile to greet Uranus. Even from where they stood they could see the tension in Chronos as he looked between his parents, uncertain whether to stay or follow his father. His mother touched his cheek with a gentle finger, smiled, and tipped her head towards a knot of young people including the eldest of Venus and Mercury's sons, another of Jupiter's daughters, Neptune's daughter, and Earth's twin boys. Chronos brushed his lips against his mother's cheek and hurried to the others who greeted him with laughter. Within seconds Jupiter appeared at Pluto's wife's side with a ready hug and grin, and though she smiled, something like infinite sadness shaded her eyes.

"Oh, sweet Sol, there are so many of them," Vesta whispered. "None of them know what's going to happen."

"This is terrible," Pallas moaned, a hand pressed to her lips. "How can we just stand here and watch all these lives destroyed?"

"We're not really here," Ceres reminded her sisters. "That's why they can't see us, remember? We can't change anything, we can only watch."

Hotaru barely glanced at them before her eyes were sweeping the crowd again but, try as she might, she caught no glimmer of violet in the crowd. There was no sign of the Queen of Saturn. The old loneliness flickered back to life, the feeling that had haunted her in every life, as she realized Saturn was not welcome amongst this crowd even from the beginning. The loneliness began to grow inside like a crushing force until she groped blindly for something to hold onto.

Like always, a small hand found hers.

"Look," Chibiusa whispered, her voice soft enough that not even the Quartet could hear her. "Down there, right at the base of the stairs. Do you see?"

In a shadow stood Saturn, watching the others with inscrutable violet eyes that shimmered. It took Hotaru a moment before she understood what made her ancestress's eyes bright like that. She was crying.

A muffled moan came from Hotaru's throat and finally even the four sisters noticed. They watched her in some alarm as she held back her own tears.

"She's all alone," Hotaru said as she clung even tighter to Chibiusa's hand. "They don't care. They don't even notice at all."

"I didn't mean that," Chibiusa told her softly. "Look just past her."

She looked, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Who is that?" Juno asked. "That man behind her. Who do you think that is?"

Before anyone could answer her the man behind Saturn moved closer until he stood beside the Queen. His hair was an indistinct brown, his face pleasing without necessarily being handsome, and he was neither tall nor broad. He wore armor, but it was leather and older than any of the great Kings. Hotaru did not think she would have looked twice at this man had they passed on the street. However, this plain creature was the man who took the hand of the Queen of Saturn and pressed it gently between his own. She looked away from the other Ancients and raised her eyes to his face with a smile that Hotaru had never managed before, because she had never been in love. The man leaned forward and kissed her softly on her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips.

"Who is he?" Juno asked again. "Does anyone know?"

"He's the man who loves her," Chibiusa said with a smile. "Isn't that enough?"

"_Iie,_" Hotaru muttered, but she said it with a slight smile. "I want to know who he is, too. I want to know what's inside him, what can make him love her. We're not easy to love, you know."

"I love you," Chibiusa reminded her quietly. "We all do."

Even as the heads of the Quartet bobbed in earnest agreement Hotaru sensed movement behind them. They all turned to watch the double doors of the Moon Palace swing silently open. Once again the first Queen of the White Moon appeared, this time leading little Serenity by her hand. The child darted forward, dragging her mother along with her as she waved down at the gathered royalty. Only Myrina saw her and waved back.

"She's so cute," Pallas squealed with delight. "I just want to hold her and play with her pigtails like a little doll!"

"Pallas!" Vesta hissed sharply. "That is Queen Serenity you are talking about, the mother of our Queen, the grandmother of our Princess! You can't play with her pigtails!"

"She isn't a Queen _right now,_" her sister reminded her with exasperation. "Besides, like Ceres said, they can't even see us! I could just—"

"No," the other three snapped in perfect unison while Hotaru and Chibiusa shared a grin.

"Mama, come on!" little Serenity cried as she pulled her mother passed them down the stairs. "Everyone is here to see us!"

"Yes, darling, but a Princess shouldn't rush," the Queen told her. "At least, she shouldn't trip her mother down the stairs!"

The pair made it safely to the bottom and into the mass of people. A quiet swept outward from where the Queen and Princess stood, rippling across the crowd as they all turned, one by one, to stare at the royal family of the Moon. Even as small as she was, the sudden silence made Serenity shift uncomfortably and cling closer to her mother's skirts.

Something very like a blush colored the Queen of the Moon's cheeks and she, too, looked almost unhappy for a moment. Her eyes turned, as if through long habit, to catch the equally blue gaze of Earth, and for the briefest of moments something passed between those two Queens, something deep and strong and warm. But Mercury cleared his throat slightly and both women started, then glanced away from each other, Earth biting her lips uncertainly and the elder Serenity's face going as cold as the Moon itself. She ran her hand over her daughter's hair soothingly as she looked about at all the others.

"Are we prepared?" she asked, her voice confident where her eyes had been weak a moment ago.

Mercury nodded and said, "Yes. I have checked the math again, adding into it the greater power of the Flame. Everything is set."

"You remembered the positions of all the planets?" the Moon probed further. "The gravity of—"

"Yes, yes," Mercury cut her off with a slight laugh. "I assure you Autolycus questioned me very closely on all of these factors last night."

His eldest son nodded reassuringly, and the Queen of the Moon relaxed slightly, though she continued to absently stroke her Princess's hair.

"Well, then," Jupiter muttered, looking from one Ancient to another, "I suppose we should…" He pointed vaguely into the sky.

"We should," Neptune agreed as she withdrew her arm from Myrina's waist. She turned and held out her hand to her daughter, calling, "Rhode, come here, love."

The crowd broke up into family gatherings. For a moment Hotaru wondered if Pallas was not right. Perhaps they could scream loud enough for these people to hear them, and then they could stop all of this. Maybe there did not have to be a mistake at all, maybe there could be a universe without an Abyss, a history in which these people were not ripped from their loved ones. She could…they could…

"There really is nothing we can do, is there?" Hotaru said with something like despair. "We really can't save them."

Ceres looked at her with two of the saddest eyes Hotaru had ever seen, murmuring, "They're already dead."

"What are they doing?" Vesta suddenly interrupted. "Look, Earth and her husband. Are they arguing?"

All five of the other girls spun quickly to follow her eyes. It did, in fact, look like the two were not having the fond farewell the rest of the Ancients enjoyed with their families. As their uncertain sons looked on Earth took her husband's arm in a strong grip and glanced around to check that no one noticed this exchange.

"Let's move closer," Ceres said, gesturing for the others to follow her.

As they all hurried after her, Juno asked in a surprisingly hesitant voice, "Are you sure we should? It could be personal."

"Or it could be the key to closing the Abyss forever," Vesta reminded her. "Now quiet, we can almost hear them!"

Through sheer luck the family of Earth had chosen the very edge of the stairs for this hurried debate, which put them closer to the six Senshi than any of the other groups. As Earth whispered to her husband she had no way of seeing her sudden eavesdroppers, and from the intensity in her face, Hotaru was fine with that.

"Gaia, beloved, please," her husband begged her, "please be careful. This is not the time to try—"

"Listen to me, Karmanor," Earth hissed, "this is the only chance. That…that _thing_ is too powerful! Do you think I am the only one who knows this?"

"They all agree with you?" he asked with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "They know what you plan to do?"

"They won't stop me," she temporized with a shrug. "Mercury has _everything_ planned perfectly. I know when I can make my move."

"What is this?" Hotaru gasped in shock. "What is she saying? Is she going to sabotage the plan? Did she do all this?"

"Sweet Selenity, don't say that!" Chibiusa moaned as she clung to Hotaru's arm. "She can't have…"

"Tell me why you have to do this," Karmanor demanded of his wife, but in his voice was a plea as well. "Tell me why you plan to rip the Flame from Serenity's hand!"

"_Because it is killing her!_" Earth wailed. "She is not who she was, it is burning her away inside! She loved us once, Karmanor, she loved _me_ once, but now she can't even hold my gaze! I need to bring her back!"

"Do you really think the Flame has done this to her?" Karmanor shot back. "Or is that just the name you are giving to your envy?"

His wife drew herself up to her full height and fixed him with the stern, flashing eyes Hotaru had seen in Endymion's face before. "This is for all of us. Let the vortex take that damn thing back into oblivion so that it never hurts another again."

Her husband opened his mouth, and suddenly his face changed from frustrated to frightened. His hands grasped her arms just above those long blue sleeves and dragged her to him so he could hold her close. Immediately she sagged against him, turning her face into the side of his neck.

"Please, Gaia," he breathed into her hair, "please be careful. Come home to me."

"I will, my love," she told him. "I will."

Hotaru finally began to cry.


	49. Chapter 49

_Disclaimer: __Let me think…nope, nope, not mine, unless you don't recognize the character, then, well, that one might be mine._

_A/N: Can I get a hell yeah! Return of the thank yous! Anywho, thanks to PurpleWildcat2010 (correct, Gaia's husband has red eyes, and the Flame will be answered, I swear) Delinda Beckett (Minako/Kunzite in the next couple chapters, and then some good Galaxia/Setsuna love and angst) Bin82501 (if I don't have you twisting I'm not doing it right, and I was so happy to see your name pop up in my e-mail, you've forgiven me!) AnnechanB (you guys keep me on track, and I swear I won't beat myself into a pulp anymore) dainlord (you guys were all so happy for that chapter that I feel kind of lousy) Astrakelly (I totally deserved that, and yours was another name that thrilled me when I saw it, you're giving me yet another chance!) Lalaitha Yamainu (congratulations again, and I hope I can keep you entertained in your very rare moments of free time) and InusAkane (way to make me feel better, big smile when I read your review!) So now you guys get to know the secret kept in Silence! I hope it isn't a let down._

"I don't want to see this, oh sweet Selenity I don't want to see this," Chibiusa whispered over and over again. "I don't want to see this."

Her left hand clenched tightly on Hotaru's right, and though she winced at the pain her best friend only squeezed her back. The tears fell slowly from Hotaru's eyes, and she could see Ceres clinging to Chibiusa's other hand and biting her lip against her own despair. Pallas wept openly, both hands pressed to her mouth as Juno wrapped her in a tight hug. Vesta stood to Hotaru's left with a face of stone and hands that trembled violently.

Earth stepped back from Karmanor and held out her arms to her sons. The two young men flew into her embrace and she pulled them close to her, kissing their identical cheeks with a smile of maternal pride. Hotaru could not blame her for that; they were very handsome boys, and someday their descendant would heal the wounds between their mother and the Moon. That day was distant, though, and Earth smiled at her husband without the knowledge that they would never meet again.

"She loves him so much," Chibiusa whispered. "And look at him…that's how Papa looks at Mama."

Hotaru also recognized that burning tenderness and a sob threatened to tear free of her chest. She swallowed hard to force it down, afraid her weakness would only hurt Chibiusa more. Nothing, however, could prevent the whimper of sorrow when Karmanor's fingertips finally parted from Earth's.

A flicker of movement brought her eyes quickly around to her own past. The plain stranger kept his arm around Saturn as she looked over her shoulder towards the other Kings and Queens. He touched her face to bring her attention back to him and smiled as their eyes met, the backs of his fingers softly caressing her cheek. Saturn raised her own hand and traced over his lips briefly before she looked down. For a moment the shadows and her dark gown continued to obscure Hotaru's vision, and then she lifted her other arm out towards the man, an arm cradling a bundle in white. He took the bundle with enough gentleness that Hotaru knew what lay within, and the gaze of perfect love Saturn cast once more over her child and her lover ripped at her insides.

_I never knew any of this,_ she mused silently. _All of this, these people, these families and their loves and their lives, how could Queen Serenity have just swept it all away? There was a time when the word Saturn wasn't forbidden. There was a time when Saturn was loved._

"They're getting ready to leave," Vesta suddenly announced in a surprisingly gruff voice. "Look."

The last goodbyes were said, the last kiss given, and they gathered together in the center of the courtyard of the Moon Palace. They formed a circle, each in their place, and reached out their hands for each other. Together they closed their eyes, and all at once ten Crystals began to glow.

"Sailor Teleport," Ceres identified with a brisk nod. "We need to follow. Come on, take hands now."

They shook themselves, each girl trying to remember she could do nothing to stop what happened eons ago, and in an echo of the Ancients they joined hands. The Kings and Queens disappeared in a flash of light, and though no one could see them, by the time any of the assembled spouses or children could blink six Senshi followed. It took very few seconds before Hotaru could open her eyes and find herself in the simple patch of empty space that changed the galaxy.

The planet Pluto and its massive moon Charon hung as nothing more than twin specks in the distance. Somewhere in the orbit they now hovered in spun the forbidden planet Nemesis, though Hotaru saw no sign of it, presuming Mercury would have been careful to stay far from their erring sister. Nothing else served as a marker for their location. A sea of darkness with no visible shore made Hotaru's heart pound just a little harder and she laced her fingers with those of Chibiusa and Vesta to anchor them more tightly together. A glance around their ring showed they had all had the same notion. Usually, this would strike them all as rather funny, but today they merely turned their eyes to the Ancients.

Considering the far greater magnitude of their mission compared to their descendants', the Ancients appeared much more relaxed. Hotaru guessed they had done this before, teleporting into empty space. They all waited calmly as Mercury turned his head left and right to spot stars and reassure himself of their location. At last he nodded with satisfaction.

"This is the clearest space as far from Sol as we dare go," he told the others. "You all remember what to do, right? Use your powers as we discussed so that we keep an equal gravity. That will keep the portal stable in the very center of us all."

"We remember, darling," Venus told him with her sultry smirk, but no one could miss the lack of heat in her voice. Her words shook and came out too fast. She must have known this, though, because she took a deep breath to gather herself before adding, "You told us three times last night."

"And twice this morning," Uranus added, his lip curled with artistic arrogance that did not match his grave eyes. "We may not all be the genius you are but I think we have it by now."

Mercury nodded his head once with something close to a jerk. "Very well, then. I will begin, and Venus after, and Earth, and…Yes, you know."

One by one, around their circle, the Crystals began to glow again, first soft blue, then flashing amber, bright gold, brilliant silver, fiery red, exotic green, deep violet, clear sapphire, vivid turquoise, and dark garnet. Within seconds the light became almost blinding, causing the six Senshi to shy back several feet. They dared not move any further for fear they would miss something. Hotaru squinted through the blaze for a brief glimpse of the Ancients and stifled yet another awed gasp. Though she could see them clearly, and could make out every feature of their faces, their bodies seemed to be on fire from the power they harnessed through such small gems, and for the first time she heard the hint of a sound, something too high or too low for the human ear to catch, but it _felt_ somehow like music.

Still, the voice of Mercury came through to them all.

"My Queen of the White…" Mercury trailed off and turned his glowing gaze to the slender figure of silver light. "Serenity. Please."

For the first time since she appeared with her daughter in the doors of the Moon Palace, the Queen of the Moon allowed a small smile to soften her face. Her hands still clasped tightly with those of Venus and Mars, she closed her eyes. The other Ancients watched her with various degrees of wonder and uncertainty while the six unseen young women held their collective breath. A long moment of stillness stretched between them all, and then something flickered amongst the rainbow of light.

"Look," Pallas gasped, craning her head to get a better view. "See, there on her belt, the other Crystal is glowing!"

"Are we sure that's a Crystal?" Vesta asked in a strangely breathless voice. "There's something strange about that thing."

"Sh," Chibiusa murmured without taking her eyes from the incredible scene before them. "Something's happening."

The Crystal caught in the starburst charm began to rotate slowly on the end of her chain belt as whatever power was trapped inside flared wildly enough to cut through the Ancients' glow. The eyes of her fellows' leapt from the Crystal to the Moon's face, back and forth, with trepidation. For a moment the Queen's brow furrowed and her head tipped a little as though she searched for something, and then the Crystal burst into an inferno of white light.

"Holy sweet Selenity!" Ceres shouted, automatically dragging her Princess further back from the fire the first Serenity had unleashed. The others followed suit, falling in like a wall in front of Chibiusa as they all stared open-mouthed at the Kings and Queens and the rampaging light.

Then, as though some giant beast in the middle of the circle had drawn a deep breath, not only the white light but all of it disappeared with a faint _whoosh,_ sucked to the exact center of their ring.

This time the silence was full of a terrible uncertainty as the Ancients, no longer aglow, exchanged glances.

"Beloved," Venus whispered, tightening her hold on her husband's fingers, "is that supposed to happen?"

"We created the cell outside of time and space, which we need to syphon the darkness away," Mercury reminded her, but Hotaru saw no assurance in his face. His eyes flashed wildly from one point to another as he searched for something.

"So where, exactly, is the darkness?" Uranus asked in a rasp. A glance showed his bottom lip red to the point of almost bloody where he had worried at it with his teeth.

Saturn straightened between him and Jupiter and jerked her chin, gesturing silently over Mercury's shoulder. Every eye, past and future, followed her gaze.

A star twinkling in the distance suddenly disappeared. Another, just beyond, went out a moment later. A third winked out, and a fourth, then two more at once. That was when they all noticed space had suddenly begun to move, ripples in the emptiness that looked like a writhing maw of black snakes. Four more starts hung in the sky behind Mercury, then three, then two, then one, then…

The darkness came.

Tortured faces, black fire, beasts, fiends and shadows crashed over the ten powerful avatars of planet power as though they were children caught in a tidal wave on a beach. It buffeted them on all sides as it raced into the center of the circle, twisting and disappearing in a single point, but still it came, more and more. The Ancients cried out in terror, their fingers entwined but pulling slowly apart as the darkness pushed its way between them.

"STOP!" The Queen of the Moon suddenly screamed. "WE HAVE TO STOP!"

"NO! HOLD TIGHTER!" Mercury shouted back, his blue gaze sweeping over the darkness in a calm that bordered on panic. "WE CAN—"

"WE CAN'T!" Neptune shrieked in despair.

The memory of her nightmare only two days before turned Hotaru's head slowly towards her ancestress.

The Queen of Saturn shook her head wildly as silent tears fell from her face. The others continued to shout around her; none of them noticed her body arch in sudden anguish as a sliver of shadow, swirling around the single point in the center, manage to fly free. It struck her face, her head flying back from the blow, and split her skin in a thin, deep line until they could see bone from her forehead to her pelvis. Her face contorted in a scream that she could not make heard. Blood cascaded down from either side of the Crystal in her crown over her face. A few strands of black hair ripped free to fly into the growing Abyss, and a drop of blood hit the cheek of Uranus. He turned his head in confusion, then yelled in horror.

"NO!"

Perhaps it was Saturn's blood that gave the darkness a taste for them. Perhaps it was their light the darkness desperately wanted to extinguish. Or, just perhaps, their perfect plan was flawed from the beginning, and nothing they did could have made the ending any different. Hotaru doubted any of them would ever know the truth of those things, and it did not matter so very much as she watched a single tendril of darkness whip out, wrap around Saturn's small ankle, and begin to pull.

"SATURN!"

"HOLD ON!"

"SHE'S SLIPPING!"

"PULL!"

Watched helplessly by a sobbing Venus and Earth, Uranus and Jupiter struggled desperately to drag Saturn back, Jupiter's hand sliding to wrap completely around her wrist. Uranus lashed out with one foot at the darkness only to have his heavy boot slide through without contact. The darkness jerked again and Saturn's hand slid to the very tips of his fingers.

"Please hold on, Saturn, please hold on," Uranus begged quietly over and over again, crooking his fingers so that they wove through hers.

Then the screams began in the depths of the darkness, the tortured, never ending _screams_ that Hotaru knew were the only sound within the Abyss. Voices begged and pleaded and wailed, and the faces of the Ancients went white with shock.

"There are people in there?" Vesta breathed against Hotaru's ear. "They sent _people_ into that thing?"

Her horror was echoed in the faces of most the Ancients as they watched their dream become a nightmare.

"FOCUS!" Pluto bellowed over the sounds of the Abyss, his eyes blazing like embers of a still burning fire. "WE AREN'T FINISHED YET!"

Mars threw him a glare of near loathing as he tried to drag Jupiter, and with him Saturn, closer to himself with no success. The darkness pulled relentlessly, stretching Saturn's body taut until she might snap. Neptune clawed at Uranus's hand with her own to keep him from slipping away after Saturn.

The six Senshi hovered just close enough to the circle to see the Earth turn towards the Moon with a look of terrible fear.

"Pull back the Flame, Serenity," she whispered, their hands so tightly clenched that the fingernails of one drew blood from the other. "You need to stop this."

"I can't," Serenity gasped as her body twisted with pain, her eyes clamped shut. "There's too much power now, we have to stop, make them all stop, Gaia, WE HAVE TO STOP!"

Strangely, in that moment, the face of the Queen of Earth was neither angry nor frightened. Her face hardened with resolve but her eyes…there were tears in her eyes, and she looked at the Moon with a fierceness that could be either love or hate. The fingers of her left hand, the one holding the hand of the Moon, opened.

The Queen of the White Moon turned her head to the Earth, her blue eyes flying open.

"Oh, Goddess."

The darkness exploded…

Imploded…

The other Ancients began to scream in their own terror…

"STOP!" Hotaru screamed as loud as she could. "DON'T!"

The Earth ripped her hand away from the Moon.

Droplets of blood filled the space between their hands for a frozen heartbeat, then the Earth lunged forward, seized the Crystal that held the Flame, and pulled as hard as she could. The silver belt snapped. The Queen of the Moon did not have time to do more than gasp before the Earth hurled the Flame into the Abyss.

"No!" Serenity gasped. "No, no, no, no…."

The Crystal disappeared without even a flicker and a roar rose from the maw in the center of their circle.

"Goddess, NO!"

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Hotaru wailed as Chibiusa threw her arms around her from behind and held on tight. "Stop, please, stop."

The remaining ten Crystals flashed back to life, their light like spears to drive the darkness back, and for a wild moment Hotaru thought they might have a chance. Then she saw Pluto turn his eyes to Mercury with a rage that terrified her, his lips peeling back from his teeth like an animal. Mercury saw him and met his rage with icy anger.

"You swore this would work!" Pluto snarled at the man he had called friend just the day before. "YOU DID THIS!"

"I WAS RIGHT! IT WAS THE FLAME THAT FAILED US!"

"THE FLAME HAS TURNED ON US!"

"IT FAILED!"

"_SERENITY!_"

Like something savage and starving, they turned as one against the Queen of the Moon, all those powerful, terrible eyes latching onto her face with hatred.

"Don't do this!" she begged of them. "Please don't—"

Those nine voices became one enraged roar.

"YOU'VE KILLED US ALL!"

The light of ten Crystals went out.

Hotaru sobbed without shame as she watched them disappear into the Abyss, one after another, all those people whose families still stood gathered together before the Moon Palace, watching, waiting for them to come home. She heard the voice of Karmanor begging Gaia to come back, saw the smile of the plain man who cradled the child of Saturn, listened to Myrina ordering Mars to be back before dinner, and she wept as she had not since her mother had died. Her back was wet with Chibiusa's tears. Vesta's hand, still clutched in hers, trembled so violently that she shook Hotaru's whole body. She heard the moans and whimpers of Juno, Ceres, and Pallas all around her and she could do nothing but cry.

Patient Pluto.

Graceful Neptune.

Wild Uranus.

Quiet Saturn.

Mighty Jupiter.

Fierce Mars.

Gentle Earth.

Beautiful Venus.

Wise Mercury.

_Gone_.

Then she saw it, the flash of silver in the center of the darkness.

The brilliant light pierced through the shadows until the face of the Queen of the Moon could be seen one last time. The blue eyes raised and seemed to lock on the six young women no one in the ancient past could see. Hotaru stared as the Moon touched one finger to her lips and left one last whispered message behind.

"Promise never to tell. Keep our secret in silence."

"What?" Chibiusa whispered into Hotaru's hair. "What is she saying?"

"Secret. Silence. Sh."

The last of the ancient Kings and Queens smiled tenderly at them all, closed her eyes, and was gone.

Silence fell over them, a silence that felt heavy enough to cover the whole galaxy, or perhaps all of creation. Hotaru heard only the labored breathing of her companions and her own racing heart. Slowly moving her eyes, she found all the stars hidden by the wave of darkness had returned to the sky. No relief came with this, though. She closed her eyes and drifted in the weightlessness of space, strangely numb except for the piercing pain in her heart.

"We should…" She had to stop and clear the pain out of her throat. "We should go back to the Moon Palace. We need to know what happened next with their families."

Chibiusa lifted her head from Hotaru shoulder, and immediately stiffened against her back.

"Oh, Goddess."

Hotaru looked quickly over her shoulder at her best friend. "Chibiusa-chan, what's wrong?"

"Hotaru-chan," Ceres whispered in a frightened voice, "you had better turn around."

She followed Ceres's gaze down to her own chest. Swallowing another sob, she realized the horrors were not over yet. There in her chest, where she had seen it last, was the Silence Glaive, but this time it was not acting of its own accord.

On the other end, the shaft clenched tight in her hands, was the first Queen of Saturn.

"Hello, children."


	50. Chapter 50

_Disclaimer: Let me think…nope, nope, not mine, unless you don't recognize the character, then, well, that one might be mine._

_A/N: RECAP! This is for all of you who are having a bit of trouble remembering what the hell is going on. You know who you are. It's not a complete recap because it's from Ami's point of view, so if there's something she wouldn't know, she's not going to mention it. If you still have questions, let me know, I'll try and answer them. It doesn't advance the story much so if you feel like you remember everything, you can skip it. However, I think it will be shorter than rereading the beast. So thanks go out to PurpleWildcat2010 (I hope this helps you catch up, and as to where this is all going…maniacal laugh) Darkness' Forbidden Scribe (deep breaths, in through the nose, our through the mouth, we'll be getting back to the kids before you know it) Bin82501 (your reviews always make me so happy, and if it isn't intense I'm doing something wrong) Isis Aurora Tomoe (Queen of Saturn has a lot to say, I seriously almost made that the next chapter but then you all wouldn't be left wondering, and where's the fun in that?) and Astrakelly (Hotaru really does have a hard life, now I kind of want to give her a puppy in the epilogue or something)_

"Alright," Ami said slowly through her hands, "let's take it from the top."

Eleven Senshi, four Shitennou, one Prince, one Princess, and one Captain of the Palace Guards sat squeezed into the living room of Haruka and Michiru's house and confronted each other. The level of enmity had dropped drastically since the Starlights first night, despite Haruka and Seiya's best efforts, but the others had long accepted those two would not be making friends anytime in the near future. The extended Sailor family shared several large pizzas and not enough leg room as Ami, balanced on Zoisite's knees, removed her hands from her face to look down at her computer.

"What is this again?" Miri murmured to Haruka as she struggled to break a long string of cheese that still connected her slice to the mother pizza. "It's tasty but occasionally problematic."

"Tasty but occasionally problematic," Jadeite echoed with a smirk. "I think I'll be using that in the future, but in a different context."

Haruka answered Miri as though Jadeite had not spoken, pulling the cheese until it snapped. "It's pizza, something we seem to be living off of these days."

"It's quick, it's cheap, and it means no one has to cook," Nephrite reminded her. "Though it is a strange thing that the fate of the galaxy hangs so much on the deliciousness of Giovanni's take out."

"People, if I could have your attention for longer than three seconds this would go a lot smoother," Amy announced through her teeth. "We have three solar systems worth of information in this room, and we are going to have to be on the same page. Rei, if Jadeite so much as opens his mouth at any point while I'm talking I want you to kick him straight in the shin."

Grinning, Rei saluted.

"Alright, here we go. Several months ago we had an unknown Creature enter our world through a rip in the prison surrounding the Abyss. The rip, however, did not close behind it, so we had a very small and remarkably stable black hole in an alleyway between two apartment buildings. This caused a great deal of dark power to leak out into Tokyo, usually at night and usually carried on the wind. Also, on the night the portal to the Abyss opened time and space were warped and, though we still don't know why, the Shitennou returned from the dead. Your deaths were generally coupled with a great deal of energy so maybe that attracted the pull of…I can't make it make sense.

"So once we ascertained that the Shitennou had returned to our side we turned our attentions to the Creature and the portal. In the following week or so the whispers from the Abyss turned people against each other and led to a record high in homicides, suicides, burglaries, and all other kinds of violent crimes. Hotaru attempted to draw the energy away from the portal with her Sailor powers but failed and was possessed for several days. The Abyss, using her, managed to get us all to almost turn on each other with one exception: Usagi. While the rest of us were, _ano,_ working out some issues, Usagi went out alone to find the Creature and speak to her."

She paused to take a breath, trying to force from her head the horrible events of that one night, but she could see it in the eyes of her friends. Minako remembered the despair that led her to attempt to open the Abyss, and Rei the rage with which she attacked Jadeite, and Makoto the hopelessness that almost ended in her blood draining out beside the park table they still congregated at, and Haruka and Michiru the jealousy and uncertainty that led them to almost destroy each other. Ami touched Zoisite's knee briefly as she thought of her own loneliness and her need to keep him with her forever, whether he wanted to be there or not. None of them wanted to remember Usagi's lifeless form and the wave of darkness that followed.

"Usagi managed to have a conversation with the Creature for a moment before a wave of the evil swept over Tokyo," Ami continued, sliding over Setsuna's attack on her Princess. "While Usagi was unconscious she spoke to her mother, the Queen of the Moon. Queen Serenity told her that the Abyss was created by the ancestors of the Silver Millennium, or in other words, _our _ancestors. They attempted to wipe the galaxy clear of darkness but something went wrong. Queen Serenity didn't know what happened, only that they all disappeared, never to be seen again. The Queen also explained that the only way to make any kind of portal to the Abyss was through the death of something as great as a star.

"We came to believe there was good in the Creature when we discovered that she was the one who pulled the Abyss out of Hotaru. At Usagi's insistence we approached her again and discovered that she was, in fact, the remnants of a star named Inanna. The star had gone super nova and in her death she had killed her planets, her children. With her gravity collapsing and her heart in despair she was pulled into the hell that is the Abyss.

"Between science and Queen Serenity we knew that the only way to close the Abyss was to return Inanna. She, of course, did not want to go back and ran. Usagi chased her and promised to go into the Abyss with her. We, in turn, chased Usagi back to the black hole just as the two of them went in. Mamoru followed Usagi, and we all followed him. Are you all following me?"

The Starlights, Kakyuu, Fubuki, and Miri all nodded while Ami took her chance to drink some water. She returned her glass to the end table, almost knocking over the other four there, cleared her throat, and took up her monologue again.

"Inside the Abyss we were all unconscious with the exception of Usagi and Inanna. When we awoke in there Inanna had surrounded us all with some bubble of power and Usagi looked like Princess Serenity again. We joined our powers, not only we Senshi but even the Shitennou, so that Inanna could be freed. Then Usagi…Serenity…She helped Inanna to die as she should have, and so escape the Abyss forever.

"That, of course, left us in the Abyss, but somehow it couldn't hurt us. We floated or teleported towards the portal and managed to escape back onto Earth, fairly safe and sound. After a few days to recover the gentlemen decided we all needed a break from each other to wrap our heads around all the changes and resurrections that had happened in the last week or so, and they chose to leave for a bit."

Uncertain, Ami bit her lip as thoughts tumbled through her head. She was right, they all needed to be on the same page, but to speak out loud what had become of their own ancestors, and where the voice of the Abyss came from, filled her with something almost like pain, or perhaps shame. The others waited in silence, the Starlight becoming somewhat impatient, as she struggled for words.

"History," Miri suddenly said, examining her pizza crust with great care, "is a strange thing, isn't it? You say that your Queen Serenity never told you or your Princess this. An unwise choice, don't you think? Hiding history does not make the past go away. Lying about it only does injustice to those who suffered, and as Queen Serenity was not responsible for the faults of her own ancestor, let alone yours, she had nothing to be ashamed of. Why was it so important, then, to hide this one truth?"

Ami blinked in some surprise at the strange girl, then smiled. Miri made an excellent point. Neither she nor the others were to blame for their ancestors' actions. They had committed no sin other than being born of the same blood. Ami tried to throw Miri a grateful look but the other Senshi reached for the package of cookies beneath another pizza box without raising her eyes. Before she got far Michiru pulled the cookies free and held them out with perfect politeness. Miri's hand touched the box and, for a moment, her gaze flickered up to Michiru's. Under Ami's bewildered scrutiny the two women held a look for a very long heartbeat, Michiru smiling slightly and inclining her head at Miri. Long lashes fell swiftly over those slanted gray eyes, but Ami was certain she saw Miri's mouth twitch in a tiny grimace.

"I don't see how the idea of ridding the cosmos of darkness would be a fault," Taiki said in her cool, almost dismissive voice. "They made a mistake somewhere, true, but that is not a sin."

Ami closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced out between her lips, "It's what happened next that was the sin."

When she opened her eyes she saw that all their visitors had raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"But let me continue in order as it happened to us," she said. "While the men were gone we noticed that Usagi was plagued by nightmares of the Abyss but we assumed they were just bad dreams. Then she fell asleep in class about two weeks ago and…and we realized they were more than dreams. A blast of power from her knocked the entire class from their seats and burnt a hole in the floor. We managed to escape without anyone knowing what happened, and before we could all discuss it the men returned and we were distracted.

"That night we fell asleep here in the living room only to be woken up by another attack from Usagi. She didn't do much damage, though, because by then Galaxia had arrived and managed to contain the power. Usagi woke from her dream but fled out of fear of harming us. Meanwhile Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna found that Hotaru, who went up to bed earlier, had suffered an attack of her own. Someone had somehow…impaled her with her own weapon. We couldn't wake her, we couldn't find Usagi, so we tried something a little extreme."

"Extreme?" the Starlights echoed in a chorus.

"We invoked a goddess," Makoto muttered with a shrug.

"Technically, Rei invoked a goddess," Jadeite added. He immediately turned wide eyes to the Senshi hugged close to his side while shifting his shins further from her. "She wasn't talking, I don't need to be kicked."

Rei merely patted his arm and smiled, which did not seem to comfort him much.

"The goddess Amaterasu," Ami took up again. "The soul of our sun. She told us that both Hotaru and Usagi were safe, and also gave us a little more information about what happened with our ancestors the day the Abyss was formed. They were in a circle, you see, until someone let go, which is when everything went wrong."

"Someone let go?" Seiya interrupted. "Who? Why?"

"We don't know the why, and does the who really matter?" Ami asked.

"It does," Mamoru assured her with a slight, grateful smile. "The one who let go was the Queen of the Earth. My ancestress."

Even Seiya made no comment to this revelation, merely nodding.

"Amaterasu also told us about some power that Usagi had gained from the Abyss, something she called a spark. She spoke of the cosmic egg, and how the spark ignited in the center and released light and darkness to create the cosmos. It's like an old creation story from China and even India. The spark is all that's left of the flame that burst open the egg, and somehow Usagi has this.

"Hotaru disappeared from her room at this point," Ami continued once again, "though we do know she went with Chibiusa and the Sailor Quartet. That's Mamoru and Usagi's daughter from the future, for those of you who don't know. We have no idea what they are doing, to be honest. Then Galaxia and Setsuna left to gather the other Senshi, as you know.

"Between then and the day you guys got here from Kinmoku we had a bit of an epiphany. Mamoru had a dream in which he heard the first Queen of the Moon, who was not happy to see him, and saw the first Queen of the Earth, who could not see him because her eyes had been ripped out, and we finally realized that our ancestors had not died the day they tried to create the Abyss. They were pulled in, and, in a way, they _became_ the Abyss. Those voices that haunt Usagi, the voices we heard in there, are our own Ancestors, twisted and corrupted by the darkness.

"Those are our enemies."

Not one word was spoken as Ami paused to take a deep breath. The Kinmoku visitors stared at her in shock, mouths hanging slightly open. Kakyuu looked like she might cry. Only Miri sat untouched, but her bottomless gray eyes stared straight ahead almost as if she did not hear, as though some thought or memory had taken her from them. When she blinked Ami thought there could be tears there in her eyes.

"There is one exception," Ami admitted, clearing her throat. "The first Queen of the Moon. Somehow she escaped corruption, perhaps by holding on to the spark Amaterasu spoke of. She's the one who gave Usagi the last bit of this ancient flame. She doesn't trust any of us, though, because of who our ancestors are now. It seems she went a little mad in there."

"Translation," Jadeite muttered, "the old woman's bat crap crazy."

This time Rei did not hesitate to apply her shoe to his shin.

"Anyway," Ami sighed, "the rest you know. You know about Princess Minau escaping the Abyss after the destruction of Inanna and her planets, and how pieces of the darkness clung to her capsule, falling away to do the gods only know what damage. You know how Usagi was attacked, almost killed, and something was ripped from her belly, something from the Abyss, and she was saved by Minau. You know she's disappeared yet again, this time from even her family, to keep us safe from the rage of her grandmother. You know Setsuna and Galaxia have made it to Miri's system and spoken to the Prince of Geshur. You know we still haven't found Miri's stupid capsule, either here in Tokyo or anywhere else. You know we're creating a pizza shortage in Tokyo. That's it."

Seiya gave a little laugh. "I'm glad that's it, because that's a hell of a lot to take in."

Yaten inclined her head in agreement, then asked, "So, where do we go from here?"


	51. Chapter 51

_Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada yada…_

_A/N: Running so, so late, so once more I'll have to postpone personal thank yous and just say, "Thanks, y'all!" I lived in Louisiana and Texas, I can say y'all. Anyway, this was supposed to be up two days ago, sorry, works been crazy. Enjoy._

Miri paused at the bottom of the stairs to take a long, deep breath. The others had gathered once more in the house before school or the continued search for Minau's capsule to touch base. She saw almost all of them at a glance, except Minako, Kunzite, and Michiru. Assuming the missing members would be found in the kitchen, where she would also find the delightful substance they called coffee, she braced herself and stepped into the room.

The din of all those voices slammed her with enough force to almost make her stagger. Miri winced slightly, one hand lifting uselessly to her ear. It made no difference. They all glanced up at one point or another to acknowledge her presence, all with a smile, but their attention was far removed from her. After a moment of tightly smiling she began to sort out the threads of speech until they turned into words she could understand.

The brilliant young woman Ami sat in a corner with her ever present computer, her head tilted to rest on the arm of the man beside her. Zoisite ran his fingers unconsciously over her hair as he watched her work. Neither lifted their eyes to each other, but still Miri heard Ami clearly.

"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me."

Zoisite leaned down closer as Miri caught his response. "I want to kiss you every minute, every hour, every day. You've got me in a spin but everything's A O.K!"

Miri blinked uncertainly at this strange turn of phrase, as well as the almost melodic rhythm to it, as she moved past them, drawing abreast with Rei eating a muffin with one hand and scribbling something on paper with another. Briefly the priestess's voice cut above the others.

"And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance, because none of it was ever worth the risk. Well, you are the only exception."

Brushing past Miri with a murmured apology, Jadeite snuck a bite from the muffin, then grinned at Rei's annoyed glare, brushing back a strand of hair from her face.

"Do you want to share your dreams, see a different side of me? You're everything I need."

Finally it struck Miri. Clearly, Michiru had been busy that morning. She understood now the strange cadences of the words, the reason they did not sound like they belonged to those saying them. The rhythm also added a clarity to those voices that made them almost a drill straight into her brain. She could not block them out with any of her usual tricks.

The graceful Princess Kakyuu actually wished her a good morning quietly, yet her eyes flickered almost immediately to Fubuki rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a tenderness that whispered to him, "Tell me I will never die. Take away my pain. Rock me gently in your arms. Say that I can stay in your keeping."

In return he reached almost blindly for her, pulling her close as he told her, "If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied, and illuminate the 'no's on their vacancy signs. If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks…"

Seiya stepped out of the kitchen just as Miri prepared to enter, and both stepped quickly back with a shared exclamation of surprise and apology. They tried to move out of each other's way, both stepping one way and then the other until Seiya, laughing, put her hands on Miri's shoulders and turned them to reverse their positions. Miri smiled back and moved to enter the kitchen, but Seiya retained her arm for a moment. She met Miri's startled gaze, then flicked her own eyes significantly towards the counter and the box of breakfast goods there. Only one jelly doughnut remained. Miri giggled in gratitude and made a beeline for that doughnut as Seiya moved into the room, her flickering towards Mamoru and words trailing behind her.

"Don't forget me, I begged, I remember you said sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Then she was gone, and Miri heard only the soft sigh of the sea. She held her silence as she poured her coffee. She added plenty of cream and sugar, stirred, and tasted. The sweetness soothed the bitterness of the coffee on her tongue. Once satisfied, she turned to face the only other person in the room with a slight smile.

"Good morning, Michiru."

Her hostess raised her eyes from her own drink and let her mouth curve up politely. "Good morning, Miri."

"They seem to be preparing for the usual morning briefing," Miri observed as she leaned to get a better view of the living room. "Nothing we don't already know, I suppose. They don't need us."

"Well, we are living at headquarters, in a manner of speaking," Michiru agreed readily. "It is useful knowing everything that's happening before everyone else, isn't it?"

"That is a matter of opinion, I think," Miri said as she traced the rim of her cup with one finger, her gray eyes locking with Michiru's green. "Perhaps it would help in some instances, but in others it only adds to the confusion and the trouble."

A flicker of surprise flashed across Michiru's pretty face. "Confusion?"

"Mm-hm. Having details to a problem you know nothing about in the first place would definitely constitute as confusing," Miri assured her. Her fingers tightened until the tendons stood out on the back of the hand wrapped around the hot ceramic mug. "Let me explain."

She gestured the other Senshi closer and Michiru came willingly, eyebrows raised in pleasant interest. The two stood side by side and stared out into the living room where the others gathered. Their absence had not been remarked on, either because they had not been missed in the crowd or, more likely, because everyone felt as they did, that they knew all there was to know. Miri did not mind this as she pointed towards Makoto and Nephrite standing closest to the door, she swinging her school bag and he yawning into his doughnut as they leaned against each other.

"Now, this is interesting," she said softly. "When he looks at her I get the sense that in this life he's been hammered by some heavy blows that never knocked him off his feet. All she has to do is smile at him and down he goes, and there's no mystery why he surrenders. Makoto, meanwhile, is thinking that everything is opposite, she doesn't feel like stopping it, so what's she got to lose. He's into everything she's not, according to…someone. That all seems very intimate, doesn't it?"

"Exceptionally intimate," Michiru corrected her through a very dangerous smile.

Miri met it with one of her own. "Only I have no idea what those heavy blows of Nephrite's are, or who thinks that Makoto is so different from how Nephrite thinks of her. In the end, it makes almost no sense to me. Shall we try again?"

She did not wait for an answer but pointed to Mamoru slumped in a chair with his hand over his eyes, a perfect picture of exhaustion. "He wishes someone, your Princess I would presume, would find him here, speak to him. He wants to feel her, he needs to hear her, because she is the light that's leading him to the place where he finds peace again. I would assume that she brings him peace in some way but I don't know how."

Her attention switched to Yaten. "Now Yaten is pondering how we can't make promises all based upon tomorrow. Happiness, security, are words we only borrowed. That…well, actually we all understand that line of thought, so moving on."

Michiru twitched an eyebrow but otherwise held her silence as Miri turned to Minako. The golden haired girl stared blankly at Kunzite as he spoke to them all, not listening to a word he said as her own thoughts spun and crashed into each other.

"Minako is struggling to think how to tell Kunzite that she gave him all she had and now it's gone. He gave her all she needed to be strong. For what it's worth she'll always be the lucky one. Kunzite, all though he appears focused on repeating our troubles yet again, is in fact wondering if he should tell her that he loves her, he needs her tonight. That the stars are only second to her beautiful eyes. He wants her all for his own, and he should tell her. Again, fascinating to know, but useless when I don't have the vaguest idea what she thinks he gave her or why he's debating telling someone he clearly loves how he needs her."

Finally something shifted in Michiru's gaze, a troubled frown surfacing on her impassive face. She studied Miri for a silent moment, glanced into the room where Minako and Kunzite deliberately avoided each other's eyes, then back to the mysterious woman in her kitchen. Her lips parted to speak, but Miri, still angry, continued on.

"Now on Haruka's mind is—"

"_Iie!_"

It was said so quietly but so fiercely that Miri immediately stopped, but when she closed her mouth it turned into a twisted smile.

"Not curious how it works anymore?" she asked softly.

Michiru almost shook in her fury as she advanced a step closer to Miri, her voice like cracking ice. "You do not have the right to go traipsing through the minds of this family!"

"You really have no idea," Miri whispered back. She swallowed hard on a lump in her throat that seemed to have formed four years ago, when her aunt had passed her the Lejah Crystal and the voices came. "No idea what this is like. Do you know why I volunteered so readily for this, to come here with all of you?"

"Because you are the perfect agent for collecting information," Michiru guessed. "Because you are almost impossible to lie to, thus able to protect the interests of your Prince and Princess as few can."

Chuckling slightly, Miri nodded grudgingly. "Partially. Mostly. But also because I hoped that surrounded by Senshi it might be…"

Michiru retreated the step she had taken forward as she tipped her head curiously. "It might be what?"

"Quiet."

This, finally, broke the mask of ice on Michiru's face. Her eyes widened as her mouth made a little "o" of surprise. Then, softly, reached out one hand and brushed the tips of her fingers across Miri's shoulder.

"You can't control it," she murmured. "You can't help hearing people's thoughts."

"Sometimes it's easier than other times," Miri said as she leaned back against the counter, her shoulders relaxing as she suddenly noticed how tight her muscles had clenched, like an animal preparing for an attack. "People don't actually think very clearly. Our thoughts jumble into each other and are interspersed with images and sounds and smells and sensations and even tastes. Most people can't make sense of what's happening inside their own mind. I catch words or glimpses here and there. Only occasionally are there thoughts I can't escape."

Michiru moved to stand beside her and reached for the coffee pot. Finding it almost empty brought a scowl to her face. She opened the cupboard to retrieve more coffee grounds as she threw an interested glance at Miri.

"What thoughts can't you escape?"

"Thoughts that are charged with strong emotions," Miri explained. "People who are terrified or deeply sad or thrilled about something almost shout out with their thoughts and you can't avoid them."

A slight chuckle escaped Michiru's lips before she caught it. She bit her lip and flicked her eyes into the living room to find Fubuki and Kakyuu.

"Serious lust also makes that list, I take it."

"Indeed," came the groaned reply. "I felt their…intensity as we came up to the house, as well as heard some things that will never be repeated but give me great respect for Fubuki and his hands."

This time Michiru could not help the explosion of giggles, though she quickly muffled them in the sleeve of her thin sweater. Both women glanced out into the living room but still no one noticed them. After a moment Michiru lowered her wrist from her lips and shook her head.

"We're all frightened all the time," she said slowly, her smile beginning to slip away. "Is that all you can hear, all our fears?"

"Actually that isn't all that loud," Miri admitted. "The other thing that is hard to focus through is something learned by rote, either a quotation or a poem…or a bloody song. Those pierce all other noise and slide straight into my brain."

Michiru had the decency to look almost ashamed and deeply apologetic. "I didn't know. I thought it would be simply safer if they just didn't think their own thoughts."

"You're a musician, you know people gravitate towards songs that echo what they feel inside," Miri shot back with a bit of left over aggravation. "Blessed Sheiramoth, it's like you put their feelings on a damn sign and hung it off their necks. Why didn't you just _ask _me about it?"

"Why didn't you say something on your own?" Michiru countered. "Why wouldn't you tell us something like that? Mind reading is certainly something that can be useful right now. Don't you use it to protect your Prince and Princess at home?"

"Of course, but only the Senshi and Absalom know about it!" Miri sighed as she put her cup down. The coffee was growing cold, anyway. "No one knows but those four people, and my aunt, who was Sailor Lejah before me. She told Absalom, Anyuta, Csilla, and Sippora when we convened the first time. I have never told anyone what I hear. Ever."

Michiru shook her head almost helplessly. "This happened before. The Starlights didn't tell us who they were, not even after they found out there are Senshi from this system, too. If we aren't honest with each other we cannot work together."

"That won't be easy," Miri said. "We Senshi keep secrets and make hard choices so others don't have to. We aren't used to sharing everything with strangers."

"We are rather reluctant to socialize outside our teams, aren't we?"

"It's easier to keep secrets that way," Miri agreed with a shrug. "That's going to be an ongoing problem, and as you said, I have no right to use what I hear against other Senshi. We're going to have to trust each other."

Slowly, Michiru nodded. "I suppose so. Are there any questions you want me to answer, then?"

"Just one," Miri assured her. "What's a canary?"

"A canary?" Michiru echoed back blankly. "Where did that question come from?"

"You said you would answer."

"Alright, fine. A canary is a small yellow songbird here on Earth."

Pale eyebrows rose questioningly. "Yellow?"

"_Hai._"

"Never blue?"

"Not that I've ever heard of."

Miri frowned as she turned her eyes out into the living room where things were beginning to break up. "Then what in the cosmos is Taiki going on about in her head? And why would you plug a songbird into an outlet?"

As Michiru processed this information with complete bewilderment Miri could not suppress one last bout of curiosity. She let her mental ears turned towards Haruka for just a moment.

"Time stands still, beauty in all she is, I will be brave. I will not let anything take away what's standing right in front of me," Haruka mused silently, a tiny smile on her lips and hair like the sea on her mind.

"Time for school!" Ami's voice suddenly rang out. She clicked her computer closed and stuffed it into her school bag before standing up to give Zoisite a quick kiss. The other younger girls also collected their things with final goodbyes, Rei adding a kiss that would have Jadeite's mind occupied long after she was gone. Makoto kept hers a little more subdued but still attention diverting while Minako merely brushed her lips against Kunzite's cheek as she headed for the door. With the quickest goodbye she was the first to reach the door, and the one to open it.

The woman standing on the porch with her hand raised to knock started back in surprise. The entire group stared at her as she leaned in through the door to look back. Hair the color of fire, somewhere between red and gold, framed her face in a cascade of bangs parted down the center. An impressive bun held the rest to the back of her head. Glints of different colors interspersed within that hair made Miri squint until she suddenly realized that dozens of feathers in jeweled tones had been woven into the strands. Big emerald green eyes blinked at them all. She wore a white blouse and black skirt and looked incredibly normal.

"Hey, guys, new Senshi!" Minako called over her shoulder. "Come on in, we're just late for school."

The startled woman allowed herself to be ushered in, accepted the bows of Rei, Ami, and Makoto with a bemused smile, and waved until the door closed. Slowly she turned back around to meet the eyes of the rest of the group, and shrugged.

"Um…hello?"

_A/N again: Massive props to whoever guesses all the songs stuck in their heads. I had way too much fun with that, I admit it._


	52. Chapter 52

_A/N: Holy schniekies, you guys, this thing is loooooong. It's, like, really long. There should be enough to keep you happy for a bit. Anyway, lots of love for everyone, but a little extra for PurpleWildcat2010 (there were hints that Miri could read minds but she never said it, and I picked songs from my own music so they could be a little…unknown) Delinda Beckett (so glad everyone liked the songs, and poor Mina and Kunz will be getting back on track, and what's going on with Saturn and the kids…is not what it looks like) baby gyrl (nice catches on the songs, girl, you rock! And apparently listen to the same stuff I do) and Lalaitha Yamainu (sorry for the songs in the head, sing to the little one! Hehehe. Sorry. Again, Michiru just figured out what Miri was up to, only she didn't get the whole can't-help-it thing.) So it's late and I didn't get to reread it, forgive the mistakes!  
_

"So what do you think that was all about?" Makoto asked as the four younger women made their way from the Outer Senshi's house towards school.

Minako blinked at her blankly, almost as if she had forgotten the other three were there. "What was what about?"

"The new Senshi?" Ami asked at the same time. "I would guess that Setsuna and Galaxia sent her here. Did anybody else notice feathers in her hair?"

"Not her," Makoto corrected. "But I did see feathers. I meant what were Michiru and Miri talking about in the kitchen? And why were they looking at us so intently?"

"And why was Michiru obsessed with songs this morning?" Minako added with a growing frown. "Suddenly she's talking about this song or that one and how it reminds her of Haruka or Hotaru or rain or whatever. It was weird, even for her."

Rei dug through her bag as she shrugged one shoulder. "They must have been talking about Miri's telepathy. Where's my chapstick?"

It took her several steps to find the elusive tube, but when she looked up she seemed surprised to see her friends staring back with jaws hanging slightly and eyes very round.

"_Nani?_"

"Telepathy?" Ami gasped. "Since when does Miri have telepathy?"

"Okay, just to be clear," Makato interrupted, "telepathy is mind reading, right?"

"Right," Rei and Ami chorused.

"That still doesn't answer Ami question," Minako said. "When the heck did Miri become a mind reader? Did she tell us this?"

"Really?" Rei muttered as she frowned at them all in turn. "No one else caught that? She answers questions before they're asked, she made you, Ami, feel better about our ancestors going bat-crap crazy before you even got there, and she totally knew that Kakyuu and Fubuki were getting hot and heavy on the couch."

Makoto could not stop the snort of laughter that escaped her. "So _that's_ why she didn't want to go into the house the first day!"

"A telepath?" Ami moaned. "A telepath and I didn't even see that? Why didn't I see that?"

"Why would you be looking for it?" Makoto shot back. "None of the rest of us were, except Rei, apparently."

"And Michiru," Minako added. "That's why she's been so tense around Miri."

"Tense," Makoto said slowly, contemplating the word. "That's a nice way of putting it. She's been a real—"

"This is where I leave the conversation," Rei announced as they reached a particular corner. Left led to T*A Private Girls' School while right went towards the Azabu Juban High School. "I'll see you guys here after school, right?"

"Right here," Makoto assured her, pointing to the ground at their feet. "Then back the other way to find out who that…oh, wait, this is easy."

As the others watched she lifted her wrist towards her face and tapped the watch there. After a brief sputter of static they heard several voices, and then Haruka's face appeared.

"What's up, kittens?"

Rei nodded and turned away, fiddling with her own communicator. Minako and Ami merely moved in closer to Makoto as they continued on towards school. When Rei's voice assured them she was now in the conversation Makoto answered Haruka with a question.

"Who is she?"

The older woman did not have to ask for clarification. "Sailor Coronis. Humaa is her name. Apparently she had a lovely chat with Galaxia who left looking like a feather pillow that had just exploded."

"Yeesh," Makoto muttered as Ami and Minako laughed. "But apparently Galaxia's having decent luck with the other Senshi of the galaxy."

Haruka bobbed her head back and forth uncertainly. "I think Setsuna has to help out with a lot of the introductions. A bigger concern right now is where this poor girl is going to sleep."

"You know, I do live without any parents," Makoto reminded them all. "I can take a few Senshi myself. But only two or three, tops. It's not a very big apartment."

"Mamoru's having the same problem," Haruka said, her eyes darting to the left, presumably towards their Prince. "But someone has to keep the Shitennou, and I don't think everyone's parents would be okay with you taking your guys home with you."

"My mother would just love it," Ami corrected. "Here's a man you've never seen before, but I'm in love with him. Oh, we've known each other awhile. A few lifetimes, in fact. I fell in love with him several thousand years ago when I was the Princess of Mercury."

"Wait, Mama," Minako picked up in an excellent imitation of Ami's voice, "who are these nice men in their white coats with the big needles?"

The others laughed, and Haruka signed off as they finally reached school.

"New Senshi and no sign of that stupid capsule and no clue what to do about our Ancestors," Minako listed off, though she dropped her voice as they made their way into the crowd of students. "What are we going to learn at school that could possibly help us?"

"Geography?" Ami offered with a smile.

"Hasn't helped yet," Makoto muttered. She smiled absently at someone who wished her a good morning without really registering who had spoken. "We should be doing something more useful."

"What, stay at the house and watch Kunzite glare at my computer as though it's at fault?" Ami whispered back. "Why is he so temperamental anyway, Mina-chan?"

Minako looked quickly at Ami, and then away. "He's stressed, just like the rest of us. That's all."

Ami and Makoto exchanged an uncertain glance. The strange tension between Minako and Kunzite had not gone unnoticed by the others. Even Yaten had mentioned it in a moment of real concern. Makoto hesitated, though, with a question on the very tip of her tongue. Minako appeared to the world as flighty and boy crazy, and most accepted her at face value. Few knew how very well she hid her real heart behind that glittering, smiling exterior. In fact, other than the Inner Senshi, there was only one who knew her that well, and he seemed to be at the root of the problem.

Still, Makoto opened her mouth to broach the difficult topic when something caught her eye. Osaka Naru stood by herself at the corner of the school, an agonized look on her face as she stared off to one side. After learning of Nephrite's attachment to the other young woman Makoto had avoided her, both from a jealousy she knew to be unfounded and an awkwardness that had very clear foundation in an uncomfortable meeting with Nephrite in the middle. She could not ignore the pained confusion in Naru's face, though, and so she slowed as they almost reached the door.

"Mako-chan?" Ami murmured. "What's wrong?"

In answer she nodded towards Naru.

Ami and Minako followed her gaze and together the three tried to puzzle out why Naru studied a small group of people as though her heart were breaking. From what they could see the group consisted of three girls surrounding a boy with his back to the Senshi, all about their age. The girls giggled at something he said. He turned his head to speak directly to one, and the sight of his face sent all three Senshi's eyebrows shooting straight up.

"Is that…Umino?" Ami asked slowly.

"I…think…so," Minako whispered back. "Except he's…"

"Different," Makoto finished.

Different was the only way to describe the change that had come over Gurio Umino. The same body, the same face, even the same thick glasses, had somehow morphed into someone more…tantalizing. Instead of balancing on the balls of his feet, always aquiver with endless energy, he leaned casually on his right leg, tipped his head a little to the left, and stared at the three girls with an intensity rarely seen in adolescent boys. He barely moved at all, but when he did, stretching his neck or moving to see one girl more clearly than the others, it was fluid and languorous. As the Senshi and Naru stared, perplexed, he reached forward and swept a lock of hair casually off one girl's shoulder, his fingers ghosting over her skin. Even from the distance of almost one hundred feet Makoto saw the girl shiver slightly, her eyes widening in excitement bordering on fear.

"What the hell happened to him?" Makoto asked softly without looking away.

"Maybe he's…he could have…" Ami fumbled for words uncertainly. "We're growing up, you know, and…I have no idea."

Minako just shook her head silently.

Umino said something that made all three girls give breathless laughs, and his mouth curved up in a smile, catching the right corner of his lower lip in his teeth. It sent a shudder down Makoto's spine that had nothing to do with excitement. She could not understand the strange unease she felt at the smile, though. It was flirtatious and alluring, something she did not think Umino capable of, but that was not what troubled her. She had seen such a smile before, somewhere…

A bell rang inside the school. The crowd broke up, Umino's three new friends moving away from him towards the door. Each girl looked over her shoulder at him at least once, and each received that smile for their troubles. He followed at a much slower pace but walked past Naru as though he did not even see her. She made no move to catch his attention. In fact, unless Makoto was very much deceived, Naru's big brown eyes filled with fear.

"Come on," Minako whispered, shaking them free from their thoughts. "We have to get to class."

As they hurried in Ami hissed, "Do you think this is because of the—?"

"Hush!" Minako snapped, startling the other two. "Don't say that here. He might hear us."

Ami and Makoto nodded and fell silent.

School felt interminable that day. They had of course been moved to another classroom as the one Usagi had blown a hole through was still under repair. Part way through geography, which offered absolutely no help to their search for what Nephrite had labeled "that friggin' capsule", Makoto caught Ami muttering something about black holes drawing out time, followed by a whispered plea to their teacher to move it along. Makoto glanced at Minako, who met her gaze with the beginnings of a giggle. Both quickly looked away from each other. Moments later a small scrap of paper appeared on Makoto's desk.

She unfolded it to find Minako's careless scrawl spelling out, "It's happened. She's finally cracked."

It took every ounce of control from hours of training in this life and the last not to burst out laughing. Some things never changed. Even seated around the table with private tutors in the Moon Palace, Mercury followed along until she became bored because she was smarter than the teacher, Mars and Jupiter took notes while Mars hid a novel that they shared in her lap, Venus doodled on paper, and Serenity stared out the window. After she could choke down her laughter Makoto dared to raise her eyes to Minako's. Her leader looked her way and grinned, catching the right corner of her lower lip in her teeth.

It hit Makoto hard enough to almost send her reeling. Umino's smile to the girls…it had been _Minako's_ smile.

_What the hell does that mean?_ Makoto thought, her eyes on the teacher and her thoughts racing around her head with the speed of the winds on Jupiter. _Did he pick that habit up from her, hoping it would look cute on him, too?_

That did not sit right. Umino had done it unconsciously, as though it came as naturally to him as it did to Minako. The lips had moved without thought.

_He smiled with her smile._

Something else flashed through Makoto's brain. Sometime, it did not matter when, Mamoru had produced a camera and pointed it towards his family. Usagi had reached out, grabbed Chibiusa, and pulled the young girl into her chest, her chin resting in pink hair. The two had smiled for Mamoru and the others had roared with laughter as they assured them they had the…

Exact.

Same.

Smile.

_Sweet Saturn's bloody rings of death._

A shrill scream sent Makoto groping for her wand for a split second before she realized it was the lunch bell. Conversation broke out amongst the others students, all of them smiling and chatting as they reached for their meals. Her eyes darted over the crowd and caught sight of Umino. He moved with a grace unseen in him before, but Makoto's heart raced as she realized it was not his walk at all. The slight movement of his hips, the way his fingers traced over the desks in an unconscious caress, and that familiar smile…It was the way Minako moved when she knew a man's eyes were on her, especially a pair the color of platinum.

"Mako-chan, what are you doing?"

A hand caught her arm, breaking her away from the wild thoughts tumbling around in her head, and she suddenly realized she had followed him to the door. Her eyes flashed down to the person beside her to find Ami's startled face staring back. Minako appeared behind her, equally alarmed.

"What's wrong?" Minako asked quietly. "Is it about Umino?"

Makoto nodded as she looked back into the hall. She saw Umino's blond hair moving down the hall. Without a word of explanation she slipped out after him. A wave brought the other two after her even as Minako demanded more information.

"What did you see?"

"His smile," Makoto whispered. "His walk. It isn't his."

She felt more than saw her friends' confusion.

"I don't understand," Minako said. "If it isn't his, whose is it?"

The question threw Makoto into more confusion. The thought was so strange, the possibilities so terrifying, that she dared not voice them aloud just yet. Moreover, she did not know how to explain, especially to Minako. So she shook her head and just gestured them onward.

As Umino walked through the hall his head turned left and right. He studied the school as though he had never seen it before. Occasionally he reached out with one hand to touch a locker or the wall, paused, then shook his head slightly and moved on. Girls stopped to watch as he brushed past them but this time he seemed uninterested in flirtation. He did not offer any of them Minako's smile, much to Makoto's relief. The smile of one of her best friends would not make a confrontation any easier.

When he reached the stairs he immediately began to ascend them. The Senshi trailed behind with enough space that, hopefully, he would not notice them right away. His pace quickened the higher he went and the young women scrambled after him. Something seemed to have caught his attention like a bloodhound on a scent. The last few stairs were taken at a run until they saw him burst through the door to the roof.

"What is he _doing_?" Minako hissed from just behind her.

Makoto glanced at her and saw her face etched only with confusion. She could not see what Makoto saw. But as doubt began to touch her she saw Ami. The genius's face had gone white, her blue eyes huge and her breathing too fast, even after their hurried climb. No, Makoto had not imagined it.

They reached the door and slowed. Out of long habit Minako moved to the front with the other two flanking her, Makoto on the left and Ami on the right. Their leader put her hand on the door and pushed ever so lightly until a crack opened just enough for them to peer out.

Umino stood almost in the center of the roof, facing towards the door but with his head turned slightly from them. He stared into blank space before him with a deep frown on his face. Reaching out slowly with one hand, he stretched his arm until it was almost straight, the elbow bent just slightly. Then, quietly, he began to laugh.

"This…" Ami let out a long breath in shock. "This isn't Umino."

His other hand rose beside the first and hung in the air as well. The laughter swelled, growing louder and wilder. He leaned forward until his head hung down and the air seemed to hold his weight. Still, he laughed harder and harder.

"Wait, Minako, don't!"

Makoto barely had a chance to turn her head towards Ami's voice before Minako pushed her way through the door and moved out onto the roof. The other two hesitated just a second, their eyes meeting and sharing the unspoken knowledge of just who waited out there for them. But Minako moved towards Umino and what was inside him and her friends followed.

The laughter cut off so suddenly it seemed to leave the air ringing. He jerked himself upright and stared at Minako with a slight crease in his forehead. Then a corner of his mouth quirked up slowly as he took a step back and regained his balance. Makoto felt the eyes behind those thick glasses flash across her face with indifference, but when they landed on Ami they froze. The other corner of his mouth rose.

"Umino," Minako asked with just the right amount of concern for a casual friend, "are you alright?"

As she spoke she moved slightly to the left, around whatever he saw or thought was there in the center of the roof. He turned his head away from Ami to look at her but his smile never dimmed. It grew, in fact, enough to show teeth. Makoto's heart leapt even harder and her hand slipped once more into her pocket and closed over her wand. Without looking she knew that Ami had done the same, but for some stupid reason Minako continued with her hands at her sides.

"Umino—"

"Don't bother, child." The words came from Umino's mouth and used his voice, but the frozen cruelty did not belong to their wonderfully ridiculous classmate. "You are not a fool, so don't pretend to be."

Still Minako made no move to change to her Sailor Senshi uniform, but a transformation overcame her all the same. Her hands balled to fists, her back straightened, her chin rose, and she fixed eyes narrowed and fierce on his face. Makoto recognized that deadly rage, though she had not seen it in thousands of years. Sailor Venus had worn the same look as she shouted to a screaming, frightened mob to flee the Moon Palace, an ancient stone sword in her hand and her eyes on the swarm of Earth's soldiers ripping through the gates of their home.

"Who are you?" Minako demanded.

Umino, or whatever was inside him, chuckled low in his throat, a strangely sensual sound that made Makoto's flesh crawl.

"That's better," he crooned with an approving nod. "So angry and still so beautiful. A terrifying thing to behold. Let them yearn for you, need you, adore you, my darling. It is your greatest power."

The wand with the Venus Crystal appeared in Minako's hand so quickly that Makoto could not remember seeing her hand move. Minako stepped carefully to the side, her eyes fixed fully on the enemy for any signs of attack. He made none, instead content to watch her move. Her deliberate grace seemed to please him as he nodded yet again.

"So beautiful."

"I have far more power than that," Minako assured him, twitching her wand to get his attention. A tiny tilt of his head, a flutter of his hand towards her, showed that she most assuredly had it. "You know what I am. Now tell me who you are."

"Who I am," he whispered back. "Ah, my sweet, are you sure you want to know? Can you handle the answer?"

"Tell me who you are!" she shouted.

"Alright, then."

The smooth pink handle of her wand dug into Makoto's hand as he moved, and she wanted desperately to call to Jupiter for aid. She saw Ami's eyes darting from their enemy to Minako, back and forth, with uncertainty and fear. Their leader held her stance, though, and so they did too.

Instead of attacking, he took a step closer to Minako and pulled the thick glasses free. For the first time Makoto was offered an unobstructed glimpse at Umino's face. He looked just as she always thought, if she thought of it at all, soft and round and smooth. One feature alone did not meet her expectations.

Eyes the same shade of gold as the Venus Crystal lanced across the distance straight into Minako's gaze.

"_Iie,_" she whispered, shaking her head. "This can't be. _You_ can't be! Not here!"

He began to laugh again, and those golden eyes began to glow. "What are you going to do, darling? Use that Crystal against me? That is _my_ Crystal."

"It is _mine!_" Minako shouted. "You have no claim on Venus! You have disgraced her, and you have disgraced my name!"

"_I_ have disgraced Venus?" he screamed back. "Look at you, you little fool, following her around, _protecting_ her, taking scraps from the table of the Moon! I was _never_ her servant!"

"I am her guardian! I am her friend!"

"You are her slave, wearing the symbol of the Moon like it is a badge when it is a chain around your neck!"

"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKEUP!"

Makoto and Ami needed no further prompting.

"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKEUP!"

"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER, MAKEUP!"

Lightning the color of emeralds exploded out from her Crystal. It flashed and flared, first bands but then arcing back to envelop her in an embrace of pure, raw _power_. Standing as close to them as she did, she could not even see the light of her friends' transformations. She saw nothing but green, heard nothing but wild thunder, and felt only the awesome force of her planet, her beloved Jupiter. For a split second she saw the delicate arches of her precious Io Castle and pain cut through her at the loss, but then the tiara covered her burning planet symbol, the lightning blazed a second longer and was gone, and Sailor Jupiter stood with all her power to face the mad ancient Queen of Venus within Umino.

The smile, so terrifyingly inviting, had returned to his face. Golden eyes remained locked on Sailor Venus as she drew back a hand, her chain whipping back to follow. Her blue eyes blazed as brightly as those of her ancestor with a rage that was tinged with disgust. She showed no pity or kindness as she leapt forward.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

The heart shaped links of her chain snapped out and around, preparing to tighten around Umino's body. He leapt back at the last second and thrust out his right hand. His fingers closed around the chain and it drew taut between them.

"This, too, is mine, child."

With all his attention fixed on Venus's shocked, enraged face, he forgot that they were not alone.

"This is not yours!" Jupiter hissed, her hands coming up in front of her. "JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!"

"MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!"

The dragon came to life from arcs of green lightning, snapping its powerful jaws as it curved high above them and shot down at Umino. Riding its tail came spheres of sapphire blue light so dense it was a liquid, but they rained down like missiles. Their enemy had no time to move away before the attacks were upon him.

Instead, he threw his weight back against the chain and yanked Venus towards him. Jupiter gasped and Mercury cried out as their own powers streaked towards their friend, unable to pull them back. For a moment Venus hung onto the chain, possibly from sheer stubbornness, then, just as the dragon's snout hung inches above her head, she let go. Umino staggered back, laughing that insane laugh, until both attacks slammed into him, one right on top of the other.

Timber and concrete flew through the air under the impact of two Sailor powers. All three Senshi fell back as they threw their arms over their necks and faces. Jupiter felt something rip across the flesh of her left arm just above the long glove. A second later a junk of hard material smashed against her knee. From her right she heard Mercury give a pained cry. Venus shouted something lost in the din.

Then silence came, the heavy silence that always followed violence. Coughing against the dust in the air, Jupiter lowered her arms and looked immediately to her comrades. Blood seeped from under Mercury's tiara but she appeared fine. When Jupiter glanced the other direction her heart dropped.

Sailor Venus crouched on her knees, one hand braced against the ground while the other struggled with the chain of heart-shaped links wrapped around her own neck. Umino stood behind her, clothes tattered and hair scorched but not a scratch on him, and his right hand held the chain. The left held the hair at the crown of her head, forcing her lower as he sneered.

"As you appear to love being on a leash," he rasped out, "you might as well be on my leash, darling. At least I love you."

Jupiter growled in frustration, muscles poised with nowhere to go. The attacks had done nothing but destroy another part of their school. With a flicker of an eyelid Mercury warned Jupiter to follow her lead. She moved right, further away from Umino, with her hand held out in front of her. Gold eyes rose sharply to follow her, and as Jupiter watched in surprise, something in the cruelty etched across Umino's face softened. Neither of the hands loosened on Venus, though, and drops of her blood began to spatter the roof from her throat. The other two Senshi saw with growing horror that the links of the chain closest to Umino had begun to blacken.

"Let her go," Mercury demanded, "or I will attack again."

Umino sighed softly, almost as though disappointed. "You're cleverer than that, precious. You know you can't hurt me with that. Why would you—?"

The understanding hit a second too late. While Umino had turned his head to follow Ami with that strange intensity Jupiter had simply arced out of his line of sight and slipped up from behind. Now, as he tried to turn, Jupiter slammed the heel of her boot into the back of his knee. Whether or not he could feel the pain was irrelevant. The knee is a hinge, and with enough force, it will bend. Jupiter applied more than adequate force.

Umino hit the ground beside Venus, and the chain immediately slackened. She ripped it free and threw it aside as though it were a poisonous snake. Jupiter had her arm in the next instant and dragged her away, still stumbling to her feet. Venus collapsed against her in a wild fit of coughing, a hand pressed to her lips.

"She is mine!" Umino screamed, lunging back to his feet. "How dare you take her from me?"

"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

It might not hurt Umino, or the ancient Queen possessing him, but it slowed him down long enough for Jupiter to get an arm firmly around Venus's ribs. She lifted her friend right off her feet and scrambled backwards to rejoin Mercury. She made it only a few steps before her back hit something very solid.

"Ow, what the hell?" Jupiter snapped. She looked over her shoulder but saw nothing behind her…the same nothing that Umino had leaned on only a few moments before.

"Jupiter?" Mercury called uncertainly. She clearly could not see why the other women had stopped. "Come on!"

The light and water of Mercury's attack began to wink out and Umino rose with new rage on his face. Jupiter stretched out a hand to touch whatever lay behind her, sliding sideways and searching for the edge. The sides felt sleek and smooth under her glove, like stone. She did not have much attention for any more details. The surface disappeared, she stumbled sideways with Venus still in the crook of her arm, and Umino lunged with the blackened links of Venus's chain. A snap of his wrist sent them ridged as a sword, a move Jupiter had seen Venus use before, but rarely. The black sword came down—

"_Iie!_"

Umino flew sideways as something blue and very fast slammed into his shoulder. Jupiter gaped for less than a second as Mercury threw herself at their enemy like a linebacker. Then the black sword scraped against the roof beside her foot and Jupiter threw herself forward, leaving Venus in a shaking heap behind her. Umino and Mercury hit the roof together in a pile, the Senshi on top. Jupiter saw Umino's arm begin to wrap around Mercury to draw her closer. His hand landed on her hair just as Mercury dug her elbow into his chest to push herself sideways and away. His fingers dug into her hair, holding her there as Jupiter slammed her foot down on his wrist beside the black sword.

Umino did not blink or flinch in any pain. Instead he yanked Mercury down to him and fastened his lips to hers. She managed a muffled scream against him as Jupiter remembered Inanna in her worst form doing just the same to her victims. Without thought Jupiter seized Mercury by the back of her light blue sailor collar and heaved up as Mercury managed to twist her head to the side. Umino tried to clutch her by the hair, but with the combined strength of both Senshi he was forced to relinquish his hold, especially when Jupiter moved her foot from his wrist to his face.

"Oh, blessed Selenity!" Mercury gasped as she rubbed the back of her gloved hand over her mouth. She spat to the side, then wiped her hands over her face again and again as though she could still feel him there. "Oh, sweet Sol, it _touched_ me!"

Jupiter's quick glance towards her friend was a mistake. A hand grasped her ankle and twisted until she collapsed to the roof with a scream. He did not get much of a smirk in, though, before the other foot caught him in the throat, forcing him back. He had to roll with the kick and the two Senshi fled back to Venus, who had finally risen, though her hand remained pressed to her mouth.

Umino stood slowly, gracefully, without one sign of pain despite the wreckage of his clothing and several boot prints on his skin. Jupiter noticed that he did not bleed even where the flesh had been ripped open. For someone reason this struck her as more ominous than anything else they had seen. Even Inanna had bled.

"Well, children," he said with a smile, "I suppose sooner or later you would have to know we had come home for you. Perhaps right now this does not seem such a blessing, but in the end I think you will see the truth. _We_, my dears, love you. _She_ is incapable of love."

"Love is her ultimate strength," Mercury snapped. "You know nothing about our Princess."

"_Your_ Princess?" he hissed back. "We were our own sovereigns, our own Kings and Queens. We had no rulers but ourselves."

"And look how that worked out for you," Jupiter muttered with a little smirk. "Face it, you guys aren't looking too good right now."

He laughed a little under his breath, then raised his right hand, which held the black half of Venus's chain. A casual flick of the hand, and the sword became a chain again. He twisted it around his hand and brought it to his lips in a careless kiss.

Umino's mouth and a voice straight from the heart of the Abyss whispered, "We'll take everything back, bit by bit."

A hand closed on Jupiter's arm, but when she twisted around to face another attack she found only Venus, still unsteady on her feet. She pushed past Jupiter and sidestepped Mercury's offered hand. While the other two whispered warnings she stepped in front of them and looked the ancient Queen in the eye. She brought her gloved fingers, already soaked red, to her lips again, then drew them slowly away.

"Love," she whispered, her voice ragged and weak.

"That's right, darling," he cooed with a smile. "All your loves."

Her eyes fluttered closed as she swayed a little. "And…beauty."

"Oh, of course, all that you find beautiful will be slipping down our way as well."

Sailor Venus opened her eyes again, blue eyes blazing with fury, and suddenly Jupiter saw the heart of gold light hanging on her fingertips, but this time the light swirled with the red of her blood.

"SHOCK!"

The light illuminated the look of fear on Umino's face right before it hit him squarely in the chest. His body was lifted from the roof and flung out into the sky, ablaze with red and gold light. Jupiter thought she heard a scream and wondered if the planet Venus punished its erring former Queen. Whatever was done did not last long, and Umino fell amongst shrieking students below them. As Jupiter lunged to watch over the edge of the roof he landed on his feet and took off running.

With some pleasure she realized he was limping.

Sailor Venus moved up beside her to watch. As her ancestress fled, she let out an unladylike snort.

"Bitch."

Jupiter could not help the little laugh that escaped her. She put her arm around Venus and stepped back from the edge, half-carrying the other Senshi who seemed unable to hold her own weight. They managed to stagger around to face Mercury and found her studying that strangely solid spot of nothingness in the center of the roof.

"I don't know what you're thinking about so hard," Jupiter said, "but we just blew up half of the roof. People are on their way up. Time to go."

"Right," she agreed with a distracted nod. "Of course. Except we can't just leave this here!"

"Not a lot of options," Jupiter hissed. Feet were definitely racing up the stairs towards them, and it would not help the morale around Tokyo to see the Sailor Senshi so badly wounded. "Come on, Mercury! NOW!"

With a last despairing look Mercury ran to join them as they ducked back behind the door. A moment later the door burst open, almost striking them all in the face, and several teachers and an anxious principal appeared on the scene. As they swarmed uncertainly towards the place where the two Sailor attacks had attempted to total the roof the three Senshi snuck through the door and into the stairs.

"There are students downstairs," Venus managed to whisper through her aching throat. "We can't be seen like this. We need to change."

"Alright, transform, and then Venus, just keep your head down in the crowd and we'll sneak out the front door," Jupiter muttered. "Wow, what I'd give for an Invisibility Cloak like Harry Potter."

"How about a cloaking device like that capsule we just left on the roof?" Mercury asked on a sigh.

"_Nani?_"

"Well, what did you think that was up there?"

"It was on the roof of the school this _whole time?_"

"Guys!" Venus snapped. "Transform now, argue later."

Seconds later, Makoto, Minako, and Ami moved silently through the crowd of shouting, panicking students. No one took any notice of them, and to Makoto's relief, no one saw the trail of blood drops Minako left behind. They joined the mass of students staring up at the roof and calling to one another, then slipped off the school grounds and down the road.

The second they were out of earshot and passed the first few fire trucks Makoto snapped her communicator on and demanded a response.

"Mako-chan?" Michiru answered immediately. "There are fire trucks and police cars all over. What happened?"

"Well, we've got good news and bad news," Makoto told her. "Good news, we found the friggin' capsule."

"Huzzah!" someone shouted in the background.

"Bad news?" Michiru demanded.

Makoto glanced at Minako, still weak and barely walking with even the help of the other two young women. Already Makoto knew she would be carrying Minako the rest of the way home.

"We've got family in town."


	53. Chapter 53

_Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada yada…_

_A/N: Yeowch, nine days since my last chapter and it's a little one, but I like it anyway. A quick catch up with everyone's favorite relatives from hell. Special thanks to Lalaitha Yamainu (glad you liked the last line, it seemed most natural from Mako-chan) Bin82501 (I missed you, too! I love seeing your name on a review!) Isis Aurora Tomoe, aka, Goddess of Mojo (more of the Firsts for you, and I am totally using holy hair weave at some point in the future) PurpleWildcat2012 (the Firsts are taking over bodies, not necessarily the Senshi's, but here are almost all the escapees for you, and some more Mercury/Venus, sorry :p) and AndaisLu (yep, the whole Ancient crew is looking to make it's escape.) Enjoy!_

The scraping sound barely penetrated Kengo's mind. Over and over, around and around, five beings whispered and moaned and hissed in his brain. He felt their rage and their hunger as they battered the sides of their cage, and each other. The snaps and snarls of rabid beasts punctuated the growing mantra in his head.

_"Find something…anything…"_

But somewhere, just beyond the evil burrowing below his skin and into his heart, came the sound of voices, weaving in and out of the whispers.

"…happened to you?" It was harsh, cold, the voice of Gaia.

Venus's caressing tone slithered through the air to hiss against Kengo's ear. "The children…fought…know we're here…"

Inside Kengo's head one voice rose above the others, a voice that sounded like water trickling over rocks, and it called out.

_"…my love…my darling…"_

The words sent even more ice into his soul, as they held something far more dangerous than all the screams and the rage combined.

Mars's burning disdain struck back at Venus from across the other side of Kengo, and his otherwise paralyzed body still managed to twitch in fear.

"...could you let that happen, you stupid…"

Footsteps drew closer to Kengo as his eyes stared at the ceiling, unable to even blink. He saw the brilliant gold eyes of Venus boring into his own. Even barely holding on to a sense of himself he noticed the cuts that did not bleed, the burns that did not scab. Whatever had been done to that body, there was no going back. And he was about to find out exactly how that felt.

_"…just one piece…my love…"_

A hand rose before his eyes, and between two fingers he saw a single hair the color of sapphires.

"Just one piece," Venus whispered. "One piece of your one descendant, for you, my precious husband."

_"NO!"_ three voices screamed while the fourth beat at the walls of his mind with silent hands. _"No, not you, me, let me be free, NO!"_

The voice like water just whispered, _"Yes."_

Venus dropped the hair.

Kengo could not flee, could not scream, could do nothing but watch it fall towards his chest.

And then he saw nothing more.

.

.

.

Slowly, uncertainly, he stretched both hands at his sides, then raised them up before his eyes. Blood caked them, covering the skin and filling the space under the nails. The blood, he guessed, belonged to the shell. Small cuts decorated the flesh of the right arm and brought a frown to his face.

"You could have been a bit more careful with it, you know," he rasped through the mortal's scratched throat. "I'll be needing it for a while."

A hand smoothed over his cheek, then brushed the hair back from his forehead. "Yes, well, Mars's version of collecting shells is not a very delicate process. You have a body, though, and you are free, my sweet."

He brought his gaze past the battered hands and met two eyes of molten gold.

"Venus."

"Mercury," she whispered through the human boy's lips. The hands remained soft on his face but her gaze burned. "You're with me again."

"Yes."

He was with her, and she with him, and bodies did not matter. None of the others had ever understood them. They saw the flawless skin, or the perfect body, or heard that caressing voice, and thought they knew who the Queen of Venus was. They were all so very wrong.

They did not know of the nights spent over a chess board, her hair carelessly knotted behind her head, a robe hiding all her fine flesh as her glorious mind wrestled with his.

They did not know the way those gold eyes could roil with the challenge as she covered her alluring curves with armor and her magnificent face with a mask and snapped her sword blade up into a guard position, awaiting his first strike with delightful anticipation.

They did not know how calm and clear her voice could be as her planet erupted in another wave of powerful storms, and she stood in the center, shouting for her people, always the last through the doors of Magellan Castle.

No, none of them knew her, and that was why they desired her, and he loved her.

The darkness, the cold, the cruelty of the place that Serenity had left them in cut through to their very souls and stripped away all their weaknesses. They did not fear to meet out violent justice, and they had lost their strange affection for mortals. They would turn on one another if the need arose, but Mercury did not fear the others. He feared nothing with Venus beside him again.

The more the Abyss tore away from who they once were, the stronger their bond grew. Love or hate, passion or pain, it did not matter as it wrapped around them both and drew them together. Now free, they would stand together, as they always did, and burn creation down until they could twist it into the cosmos they had dreamed together in the nightmare sleep of the Abyss.

Mercury blinked and brought her gold eyes back into focus. He smiled, a fierce snarl of pleasure, as he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and drew her down to him. She needed no more prompting but closed the distance until her lips crashed onto his. Even between these two different mouths, the ancient craving remained. Her fingers clutched at him and pulled him closer, trying to join their dark souls. Blood from his shell's wounds mingled on their tongue and fed his hunger for her and all they were together.

Finally, Venus broke their kiss, leaned close to him, put her lips against his borrowed ear, and whispered, "I saw them. Our children, my love. They are beautiful. You'll be so proud."

He smiled.

"I can't wait to meet them."


	54. Chapter 54

_A/N: Yeah, this time I've got nothing, except sorry. Life has been interesting lately. Oddly enough, this chapter has been half-written since January, and then I had no time to do more than work, eat, and sleep. I still haven't seen the new Fast and Furious movie, and believe me, that's proof that I have no time. Things have slowed way down at work, though, so I'm hoping to keep at this. Again. So if you're one of the early readers and you're still following this beast, a thousand thanks. And now we're back to Setsuna and Galaxia. I'll be impressed if anyone recognizes where the Kingdom of Cyllene is located._

_Disclaimer: Still not mine._

As the light of teleportation disappeared, Sailor Pluto took an unwary step back, only to find that the gravity of Geshur was far more powerful than that of Cyllene. Her heel sank faster than she had expected and her eyes widened in alarm, one arm reaching out for support. She heard Galaxia's startled exclamation from beside her just as a large, decidedly masculine hand caught her at the small of her back. Gratefully regaining her footing, Setsuna nodded over her shoulder to Absalom.

"Good catch," she said on a laugh. "_Arigatou_."

"Ah, but the pleasure is all mine."

The unfamiliar male voice made her whip around sharply on her heel, her eyes widened in some surprise. "Oh! _Ano…_hello. Who are you?"

Dressed all in white except for the burgundy lacings at his wrist and chest, the man standing before Setsuna was striking, though she was not quite sure if she should call him handsome. His snowy garments made a beautiful background for skin the color of honey and hair almost as gold as Usagi's, a thought that brought a slight pang to Setsuna's chest. The color was not quite the same, though, with less brilliance in the strands worked into a braid that came just past his shoulders. His eyes dominated his face, large, round as opposed to the tilted eyes of Absalom, and so pale she could not tell if they were blue or gray, fringed with lashes as long as a girl's. His nose was so non-descript one almost did not see it, lost between those eyes and a sensual mouth that looked like he might have touched it up. Not knowing the make-up customs of Geshur, Setsuna could not be sure if that would be odd or not, so she tried to pull her eyes away and instead noticed his height. As tall as she was, he was still a head taller than her, and managed to look down on her with a slight smirk. He had a face that would be impossible to forget and a body that would have sent most women swooning, but between the almost mocking quality of his smile and the emptiness of his eyes Setsuna could not find him attractive.

"He's my Papa," a young voice piped up from somewhere behind him. Princess Tamar, clad in a dress of green with white lace ruffles, peeked around his legs to gaze up at Setsuna with eyes as round as the strange man's, and with the same thick lashes, that passed briefly over her and moved to Galaxia. "He's here to see me. And Lirita."

Following Tamar's pointing finger, Setsuna and Galaxia found the tutor standing silently against the wall in the room of the Tower where they had first met the Senshi and Absalom, her arms folded over her chest and a guarded look on her face. Setsuna assumed this was merely a result of finding herself in a room with two people who took "foreigner" to a new level and started to return her attention to the Princess. From the corner of her eyes she caught the lack of movement from Galaxia and glanced to her partner in some surprise. The other Senshi studied Lirita with thoughtful scarlet eyes for a long moment, at the end of which the poor girl had begun to squirm a bit. Then Galaxia turned slowly back to Tamar's father with the same strange, distant expression on her face. Setsuna shifted slightly in an attempt to catch Galaxia's eye, but for once it did not work.

"I, uh, I am Sailor Pluto," Setsuna finally said to Tamar's father. "I'm certain that Absalom has mentioned us."

"Strangely, he said nothing about it to me," the man told her, his empty smile hitching up another notch. "But Lirita and Tamar have told me about you, of course. I am King Sivan."

"King Sivan?" Galaxia responded uncertainly. "Geshur is ruled by a Queen and her Senshi. Without the Queen, how can you be King?"

"Galaxia!" Setsuna hissed under her breath, shocked. Her partner's deference to those she had wronged in the past seemed to have suddenly deserted her, leaving her with a decidedly suspicious look in her eyes.

Though he did not look pleased with Galaxia's question, Sivan inclined his head slightly in her direction. "You are correct, Sailor Galaxia. I suppose I should have introduced myself as the Dowager King Sivan. My title was lost when my wife, our blessed Queen Yovela, died so young, leaving my sweet Tamar to take her place. Now my only title of real importance is that of Father."

Something was definitely lacking from his words, something perhaps undefinable to anyone who was not a parent. Setsuna could not give it a name, but she knew the tiny inflections in the voice, the slight change of tone that a parent used on such precious words as mother, father, or, most sacred of all, their child's name. She knew how her own voice caressed the word Hotaru even when her hands could not touch her child. Even when exasperated, that personal warmth had laced Absalom's voice as he spoke to his sister. The name Tamar had been swept away with the rest of Sivan's words, barely noticed, and spoken with none of the importance he gave the word "King".

Setsuna felt her suspicion shift to mirror Galaxia's even as she continued to smile at Sivan. "It's a pleasure to finally meet, you, sir, but I'm a little surprised to not find Absalom here as well."

"There was a meeting," Tamar said before her father could answer. "Absalom and the Senshi have to go to meetings but Papa doesn't anymore."

Sivan's dark eyes flickered to the child for a moment and his lips tightened briefly as his jaw clenched. This might have had an intimidating effect on Tamar, as Setsuna thought he meant it to, had she been paying an ounce of attention to him. Instead the Princess had turned to run back to the table spread with what looked like lessons with Lirita. She began to gather the materials, including papers, pens, and a large book, in a whirl of motion that reminded Setsuna forcibly of another little Princess.

"I can read this now," Tamar announced. "I don't need Lirita to help me. I'm going to my room now."

"Oh!" Lirita murmured in some surprise as she straightened from the wall. "But, Princess, your Papa came just to see you! Don't you want to stay with him?"

Tamar paused as she tried to sweep her papers into a pile, her face completely blank and her eyes averted from Lirita, then shook her head.

"No."

Surprised at how cold such a young child's voice could be, Setsuna blinked. She glanced awkwardly over her shoulder towards the door as she wondered how to extract Galaxia and herself from the situation. The possible ensuing confrontation between the tutor and the spoilt Princess was not something she wanted to be caught in. She took a second to muse over their arrival at this chamber instead of the balcony where they usually arrived, but decided that was a mystery for later. Her hand stretched just enough to brush Galaxia's and capture her attention. Her partner turned to her with one eyebrow slightly raised and Setsuna nodded meaningfully at the door.

Much to her surprise, Galaxia hesitated. Her eyes flashed back to Tamar and she opened her lips slightly as though she wanted to say something. The words did not seem to come to her, though, and she still stood uncertainly regarding Sivan, Tamar, and Lirita when a most welcome voice spoke up.

"Sailor Pluto, Sailor Galaxia," Absalom said pleasantly as he stepped through the door, "welcome back. Did you make any more new friends today?"

Setsuna allowed a smile, partly of welcome and partly of relief, as she turned to greet him. "A few new friends, _hai._ Tamar was also just introducing us to the Dowager King."

The grin that had begun to form in response to her smile slipped from his face as Absalom looked sharply past her to Sivan, who met smoldering gray eyes with frozen pale ones. He inclined his head slightly at Absalom, not quite the bow that the Prince Regent might be thought to deserve but more formal than a father's greeting to a son, and received only a sharp nod in return. Absalom craned his neck to find Tamar, who had finally managed to work her papers into a haphazard pile. She thumped her book on top of the heap, then slid the whole mess carefully off the table and into her arms until she could clasp it all firmly to her chest.

"Are you done with your studies?" Absalom asked her, startled.

Tamar nodded as well as she could with the sharp edges of several pages under her chin. Her big eyes softened as she looked up at her brother and told him, "I was going to take all this to my room and finish it, if that's alright."

"That's an excellent idea," Absalom said, his eyes sliding from his sister to Sivan yet again for a moment. "Our meeting ran late, after all. It's close to your bedtime."

Tamar frowned slightly as she glanced down at her book, then back up at him. "You don't want to check my work?"

"I'm sure Lirita knows what she's doing," Absalom said with a laugh.

Setsuna felt her heart warm towards him as he leaned down and opened his arms to her. With her arms full of papers Tamar could not hug him back, but she snuggled close against his chest and smiled when he enfolded her in his embrace. Absalom kissed her lightly on top of her head, then ruffled her curls as she gave an exasperated groan.

"Yes, I know, I'm a terrible brother," he sighed, shaking his head. "Have you thought of trading me in for another one?"

"All boys are silly," Tamar said with impressive hauteur. "That's why I like girls better."

"You're right," Absalom immediately agreed. "Boys are silly, and we are no fun, and you should definitely stick to girls. Go say goodnight."

He gave her a small push towards Sivan and waited until she was across the room before he added softly to the two Senshi, "That takes a load off my mind."

"Really?" Galaxia muttered. "You should visit Setsuna's house some time."

The mentioned woman applied her elbow firmly to her partner's ribs even as she choked down a giggle. She caught Absalom's quizzical look from the corner of her eye but refused to look his way, afraid she would begin to laugh and be called upon for an explanation that she did not want to give in front of Lirita and Sivan. As she fought a wistful smile at the thought of Haruka and Michiru she watched Tamar stand on tiptoe to kiss her father's cheek. Sivan bent to receive the kiss and returned it with one of his own, but while a flicker of warmth shone in his eyes for a moment he stood quickly and nodded his dismissal. Tamar's little smile faltered, then her chin went up and her regal expression returned. She turned quickly away and marched straight for the door. As she passed she glanced fleetingly up at Setsuna and Galaxia, her dark eyes almost beseeching, yet she did not speak or slow down, and a moment later she was gone.

"I suppose I should say my goodnights as well," Sivan said into the heavy silence that followed Tamar's departure. "It is always a pleasure to meet lovely young women, especially Sailor Senshi from another system."

Setsuna took the hand offered her and allowed him to brush a kiss across her knuckles. Galaxia received a similar salute, much to her apparent surprise, and Absalom was given another nod that he answered with a slight, tight smile. Sivan slipped out the door in a swirl of snowy silk and turned in the opposite direction of his daughter. The last glimpse Setsuna caught of him showed his hands curled into tight fists at his sides and his eyes narrowed.

"So…hello," Absalom began again, offering her another smile. "Did you come in here looking for me?"

"Actually, we didn't mean to end up here at all," Setsuna confessed. "I can't imagine why we did. We were aiming for the balcony, or at least, I was."

"Don't look at me," Galaxia shot back with a shrug. "I'm not particularly fond of this room. The last time we were here, Anyuta wanted to slit my throat. Remember?"

"She wanted to slit mine, too, now that I think about it," Setsuna said. "And you compared me to one of the Animamates. That really wasn't much fun at all. Let's go someplace else."

"Gladly," Absalom said as he ushered them out the door. "I was also slapped in that meeting, you know. You have a powerful arm. Lirita, were you on your way to your rooms as well?"

Setsuna jumped, then looked guiltily over her shoulder at the quiet tutor who was still where she had stood before Absalom entered the room. Lirita smiled slightly and followed them out of the room, but the moment he looked away longing lanced through her blue eyes in a way that Setsuna was all too familiar with. One look told her that Absalom, like Endymion, was completely oblivious to the young woman who silently loved him. Her heart was heavy for Lirita, and a few more pounds were added when she received another warm look from the Prince, because she enjoyed that smile directed at her.

"As I said, our meeting ran late, so I have not had dinner yet," Absalom told them all. "I don't suppose anyone else is hungry."

"Famished!" Setsuna immediately replied. "We were offered food on Cyllene but it was, um, strange."

"Strange?" Galaxia asked, blinking at her. "People in Japan eat things that still move!"

Setsuna took her turn to give the other woman a startled look. "You were on Earth for a very short time before we started for Kinmoku, and the most you got while you were there was pizza. How do you know that?"

"I believe she came to Earth one other time," Absalom reminded her softly.

"Well, she certainly wasn't going to restaurants that time," Setsuna shot back. "How do you know about our more, uh, exotic fare?"

"Um…" Galaxia paused, her eyes flickering uncertainly back and forth amongst the other three as she searched for words. "Well, you pick things up even if you don't go out much into the world, especially strange touches like that, it's almost like osmosis, only a cultural osmosis, and…okay, Aluminum Siren said something about it to Lead Crow once and I overheard it. I didn't think much about it at the time, other than to tell them to get back to work, which I regret now, but when Michiru was so set on feeding us before we left I just suddenly remembered and I hoped whatever she gave me didn't try and get away."

A long moment of silence followed as everyone tried to come up with something to either add to the conversation, or, hopefully, to drag it away from the uncomfortable waters where Galaxia's confession had stranded them. The casual way she had spoken of the two Animamates was strange, intimate, in a way that Setsuna did not like to think of her new partner. When she thought of _that_ Galaxia she saw only a shadowed silhouette, a creature of Chaos who just happened to be wearing her friend's uniform. She glanced automatically at Galaxia's wrists, always reassured to see them now bare of bracelets. But the awkward moment remained until Galaxia herself broke it.

"I think, if it's alright with Prince Absalom, I will take something to eat to my room. I'm afraid the change in gravity from Cyllene to Geshur is giving me a bit of a headache."

Absalom nodded eagerly in agreement, perhaps as grateful as any of them for the change in conversation. "I'll send someone with something that isn't alive."

Galaxia gave him a half-smile that Setsuna could not help but feel was forced. "Thank you, Highness." She began to turn away, towards the rooms they had been allotted, but stopped and reached out with one hand to brush her fingers across Setsuna's wrist. "Talk to me before you go to bed?"

"Of course," Setsuna assured her in some surprise. Throughout their travels there had not been a night when Galaxia's had not been the last face she saw before she fell asleep…or the first when she woke up. She liked it that way. It was comforting, somehow, to always know that her partner was near.

With a last smile and nod to Absalom, Galaxia moved away down the hall. He watched her with an uncertainty that made Setsuna slightly nervous, though she was relieved that much of the hostility had faded since the day they arrived on Geshur. When she had disappeared around a corner Absalom looked back at the other two women and smiled at his sister's tutor.

"You are officially freed from your duties for the night, Lirita," he told her. "Go and relax, do something you want to do without worrying about that exhausting child for once."

_Men are such fools,_ Setsuna mused sadly as Absalom put his back to Lirita, clearly thinking he had done her some service. Her sweet face was stricken for a moment at his easy dismissal, but just as Setsuna considered insisting that Lirita join them for dinner blue eyes flew to hers with a look that almost hit her like a physical blow. It was not merely dislike, but something closer to hate, and Lirita made no effort to hide it as the two women locked gazes. Setsuna's compassion gave way to shock, followed by an answering anger. Absalom had ignored Lirita long before she arrived, and it was no fault of hers that he continued to do so.

So Setsuna held her ground and raised her chin to meet the glare thrown her way with cool indifference. Lirita, understanding herself to be bested, at least at this moment, turned sharply on her heel and retreated down a side corridor. With only a slight twinge to her conscious, Setsuna moved to follow Absalom, who had not even noticed the short but heated exchange behind him.

They turned down a hall that she had never traveled before, had in fact barely noticed, and continued the short journey to the single door at the end. Absalom gallantly held it for her, nodding for her to precede him. She threw a tiny smile back at him and stepped through the door. Her eyes flashed curiously about her to take in a simple room, decorated in soft browns, with a table and two chairs, a long, low couch, and an impressive set of overstocked bookshelves.

"Is this…_your_ room?" she asked uncertainly.

He laughed as he followed her in, closing the door behind him. "One of them. I do get an entire suite of apartments, being the Regent and all. I thought it would be a comfortable place for a meal. Is that alright?"

Setsuna nodded, but when he turned away and headed across the room she remained standing uncertainly by the door. She was alone in a room with a very handsome man and all of a sudden she would have given anything to speak to Minako for five minutes. Clearly, she needed a little advice from the Senshi of Love, as she had not a clue what she should be doing.

She had wanted only one man in her very long life, and always she knew he was not for her. Ever since the Abyss had taken her for that one terrible night she had wondered if it was not her love of Endymion that the darkness had preyed on, but her envy for something she could not have. Did she love him, or did she yearn for what she saw when he and Serenity were close to each other? Both, probably. Between the Senshi and the Shitennou there had been questions and doubt, and Metalia had used those just as the Abyss did. But Serenity and Endymion…if someone were to read every love poem and every fairytale and listen to every romantic song in all of Creation, then perhaps that lonely person would understand a fraction of what passed between those two when they looked at each other.

Then again, she had seen the same thing flicker, no, _burn_ between Fubuki and Kakyuu, a _certainty_ that was strong enough to build a palace on.

_Have I ever been so certain of anything?_ she mused as she watched Absalom open a panel in the wall and begin to press buttons. _My duty, I suppose, and my love for my family perhaps…though there have been times when I questioned both. Not my love, but my trust. _

Living on the furthest edge of the Silver Millennium, with a sacred duty almost too heavy to bear, Sailor Pluto had not been raised or trained to depend on anyone, not even her sister Senshi. She had never thought much about this, as it was necessary that one of them always kept a cool, rational mind, but suddenly it hit her with a dull ache. Ami, Minako, Rei, and Makoto had complete faith in their bond. Haruka and Michiru had each other. Hotaru even had Chibiusa who she could trust unconditionally, and Setsuna herself. But never had there been one person that Setsuna could call…

_Mine._

"Setsuna?"

Absalom was standing far closer to her than she could have thought possible. How had she not heard him? His dark gray eyes studied her face, brushing over her every feature with a concern she could almost feel, like gentle fingers over her skin. He was handsome, and strong, and kind, and his love for Tamar seemed to make him twice as beautiful. Would it be so very bad for her to just lean a little closer, to let her shoulder rest against his, to close her eyes and tip up her face?

_Would you be mine?_

She smiled instead and straightened up, breaking the mood. "I'm sorry, I was thinking of home. I miss the others. Did you say something?"

The disappointment in his eyes was almost crushing, but it lasted for merely a heartbeat, and then he answered with an equally forced grin. "I said that someone will be bringing up the food in a moment. The kitchen staff knows all your favorites by now. Why don't we sit down while we wait? Tell me about…Cyllene, was it?"

"That's right," Setsuna said, gratefully accepting the change of topic. "Strangest place I've ever been, and that includes being chased through Kinmoku Palace by three of the least dressed Sailor Senshi in the galaxy."

"Perhaps we should discuss Kinmoku before Cyllene," Absalom interrupted in a voice that sounded far more natural, and enough like Jadeite to make Setsuna consider slapping him in the back of the head. "You know, it is important for us to know our allies as well as our enemies. Just to start with, how _little_ were these Senshi wearing? And what precisely do they look like?"

"Keep this up and I'm calling in Sailor Aram," she threatened, though she, too, began to relax into her smile. "She let me slap you once before, she might be willing to do it for me this time."

"Sippora? She's more likely to hang a man out the window by his heels," he said with a certain amount of pride. "I've seen her do it before."

"You're making that up!"

"Not at all. Though, in all fairness, he was much smaller than me, and Csilla had the other foot."

"What did he do to deserve that treatment?" she had to ask.

Absalom shrugged. "Don't know. All I know is Miri was standing by him, and then a few minutes later she was talking to Sippora, and the next thing I know I have two Senshi sitting on the window sill, each holding a leg, with Anyuta leaning out the window and reading him some kind of lecture. I don't know what that was about, either, because from the looks on their faces I felt safer on the other side of the room."

"Actually," Setsuna admitted, "that sounds exactly right. I would guess that Miri overheard the man say something inappropriate about one of the others."

"Why's that?"

"Because that is exactly what would happen at home. Only I could see Makoto and Rei doing the hanging while Minako chewed him out and Ami provided backup."

"Your fellow Senshi?" he guessed.

"The younger girls, _hai._"

The homesickness came again, causing her to swallow back her grief. Luckily there came a knock on the door and Absalom went to answer it. By the time he returned with two plates Setsuna had once again regained her composure and her smile. She followed him to the table and allowed him politely pull out her chair for her. It came naturally to him, this charming grace, probably from living his whole life surrounded by women. As she thought this she realized for that watching him speak to Sivan was the first time she had seen him interact with another man at all.

"So," Absalom said as they each prepared to attack the plate full of food, "Cyllene. What did you think?"

"Beautiful," Setsuna said instantly. "Cold."

His eyebrows rose a bit in surprise. "How so?"

She leaned back in her chair to consider her answer. "Everything looked like it was made from ice, or glass. But…maybe cold isn't the right word. The Queen and her six Senshi were warm and welcoming. Of course there was the Galaxia hurdle to overcome but that wasn't _too_ bad. It's just so quiet there, so tranquil, and so…"

"Cold," he supplied gently.

With a sigh, she speared some form of vegetable (it looked like a vegetable, at least, and tasted somewhat like asparagus) and tried to consider how best to describe Cyllene Castle, it's Queen, and her six Senshi.

"Alien," she countered. "I guess that's what it was. Kinmoku is not that different from Earth, really, and neither is Geshur, though that whole sun rising in the west thing is a bit confusing."

"I'm sure Miri is feeling the same way on Earth," he reminded her with a smile.

"But Coronis, Mau, Chu…They were _different._ Not just because of their architecture or their food, but the way they talk on Coronis, full of whistles and clicks, and the fact that they have feathers in their hair! Not as decoration, either, the feathers are actually part of their hair," Setsuna continued. She set her fork down, her most-likely-vegetable uneaten, forgotten. "And on Cyllene I realized just how vast the galaxy is, and how far we've traveled. They're beautiful, Absalom, so beautiful you think they can't be real. But their skin is translucent, literally see-through translucent, and a pale blue, and underneath is a _brilliant_ white light. It fluctuates with their mood, too. It darkened when Queen Maia saw Galaxia, then grew brighter when she realized that Galaxia is not an enemy and that I was also a visiting Senshi, and when she heard about the Abyss it almost went out entirely. It's in their eyes, too. They're eyes glow."

Absalom had also abandoned his food, staring at her with something like wonder. He blinked, then shook his head and grabbed his glass to take a long drink. Setsuna had not yet figured out what the soft golden liquid was, only that it was not alcoholic and that it tasted like nothing on Earth.

"I wish I could go with you," he whispered suddenly, his voice vibrant with a longing she knew all too well. "To see something so amazing, so different from everything I know…sometimes I think I'd do anything just to leave this damn Tower. Just for a few days away from the eyes, the judgment, the doubt."

"Whose doubt?" she asked, her voice gentle and her heart touched as she leaned a little closer to him. "The Kingdom's? Or yours?"

His lips twitched into something that had the right shape, but somehow looked nothing like a smile. "Both. Sometimes I'm not sure where one begins and the other ends, like I am feeding of their disappointment and they off my fears."

"Why? What do you fear?"

"Tamar."

That caused Setsuna's eyebrows the rise swiftly. "I don't understand. She's just a little girl."

"She won't be a little girl forever," Absalom said, "and someday she is going to be a Queen. She has no mother to show her how to be a Queen, and how can I be sure I am teaching her what's right? Blessed Sheiramoth, what happens if I lead her down the wrong path? Will she abuse the power of the Geshur Crystal? Will Geshur reject her altogether? What happens then? To Geshur, to our whole system, to _her?_"

No longer thinking of his beauty or his likeness to Endymion, only seeing his pain, Setsuna reached across the table and took his hand. It was large and strong, but it shook beneath her fingers like a tiny leaf on a tree. Those gray eyes were almost wild with fear and she remembered a moment glimpsed from Crystal Tokyo, when Neo-Queen Serenity had stood over the basinet of her newborn baby girl and sobbed with the same fear. Then Endymion had rushed into the room and put his arms around her, but there was no one else to comfort this frightened Prince, so she closed her hand tightly around his and lowered her head slightly until she knew she had caught his eye.

"You are a _good_ man," she told him in a steely voice. "You have given Tamar a guide for being a great Queen just by being with her. She will make mistakes, true, but you will be there to help her. I _know_ you will not abandon her."

This time the smile reached his eyes, though it still held too much sadness as he said, "I wish I had your certainty."

Considering her thoughts only minutes before, Setsuna had to laugh a little, but she was glad to see some of the darkness recede from his face, even if just for a moment.

"Come on," she teased him, "there must be some things in this universe you are certain of!"

"I suppose. I am certain that you are right, and no matter what I will never abandon Tamar. I am certain of my Senshi. And I am certain that you are beautiful."

Two emotions hit her in one heartbeat: pleasure and alarm. Her heart leapt as she heard him call her beautiful and delight danced in her veins. But her brain stumbled over the sentence that came just before. Something was not right about it. Before she could untangle the two feelings Absalom had risen from his chair and come quickly to her side. She rose from her chair more out of surprise than anticipation to face him. Carefully, gently, he touched the side of her face, his eyes searching her own for a second, and then he bent his face to hers.

Only once had she been kissed by a man, soft and sweet, but that had been a kiss goodbye. This kiss was entirely different, a greeting, an offering, and a glimpse of possibilities. Soft lips pressed to hers and coaxed a sigh from her mouth, and she allowed her hands to raise and cling to his shoulders. Strong muscles moved under her fingers as his arms went about her waist and pulled her closer. Enveloped in him, she could feel his heart racing against hers, and it felt wonderful.

Setsuna could feel his reluctance when he pulled away, though he kept his arms around her. For the first time she realized she had closed her eyes and she forced them open to gaze up at him. He stared back, frightened and hopeful all at once. Still in uncharted waters, Setsuna struggled to find the words for this moment, or perhaps _any_ words at all. Her mind blanked as uncertainty came back and the words that came out almost seemed like they belonged to someone else.

"Your Senshi?"

Absalom blinked, his eyes moving to her lips almost as though he could read the words that had passed through a moment before to be sure he had heard her right.

"I beg your pardon?"

Setsuna shook her head, wondering where that had come from. Her mind managed to push away the clouds of delight his kiss had wrapped her in, and she heard again what he had said moments before. He had listed the things he was certain of, including her beauty, his love for his sister, and…

"You called them _your_ Senshi," she reminded him, letting her hands slide down, not completely retracting her touch but giving herself a little more room.

"Um, yes, I did," he agreed slowly. "I don't understand how that exactly factors in to the position we find ourselves in right now."

"I know, and I apologize, it's just that…they are not your Senshi, Absalom."

"Now I definitely don't understand what we're talking about," he admitted, and to her great disappointment his arms slid away. "What precisely are you trying to say?"

"You are the Regent," Setsuna said, "and so the Senshi protect you…for now. But their duty is to Tamar. They are _her_ Senshi, Absalom, not yours. Don't you understand that?"

Gray eyes that had shone just a heartbeat before seemed to freeze in an instant. Even as he held his ground she felt him pull further away from her, and she cursed her mouth. She had not meant to say that, at least not as an accusation, but she had never been a diplomat and everything was coming out wrong.

"I believe I _understand_ what is happening in Geshur far more than you, Sailor Pluto," he told her with terrible civility. "I know the pitfalls that I, and my sister, face. Do you think I want to remain Regent? That I want to take power from my sister?"

"Of course not!" she gasped. "I know, by Chronos _I know,_ how much you want to throw off all this power and duty! That's not what I was trying to say."

The laugh was harsh, almost cruel, and drove Setsuna a step further back.

"You know?" he threw back at her. "_You,_ a stranger, know what it is like to be paraded in front of several worlds' worth of people, all of them knowing you are the very proof of the weakness within their last Queen, and possibly their Princess as well? _You understand that?_"

"Weakness?" Setsuna echoed. "She died. That's…that's terrible and tragic, not weakness! Even Senshi, even Queens can die, and believe me, I know what that is like!"

"Death was not her weakness," Absalom stated flatly. "It was her escape."

For a moment she stared in silence, searching his eyes for the telltale darkness that warned of the Abyss's influence. There was none to be found. Whatever this was, this anger, came from somewhere else deep within Absalom. She floundered, uncertain which direction to take. She knew so little about people, surrounding herself with Senshi and Shitennou, guardians, those like her, and she wanted to run from this darkness within him. The Abyss, though, would not run but instead feast on something this deep and old. It was a terrible risk to Geshur, and, perhaps worse, to Absalom's soul.

_Think,_ she ordered herself as she stared at him, desperately trying to unwind whatever chains had twisted around his heart. The Senshi of this system held him in the same affection as her own family held Mamoru, Tamar adored him, Lirita was in love with him. Having never left the Tower since that first night, Setsuna had no idea what the general opinion of the Kingdom was of the Prince, except what he had told her himself.

He said the Council would not listen to him until the Senshi backed him.

He said he had only five people he trusted completely, the Senshi and Tamar.

And then there was the thing he never said, a word he avoided, and the coldness in his eyes and voice when face to face with the sixth person he should have been able to trust unconditionally…

"He's not you father," Setsuna whispered.

The gray ice in his gaze cracked, but did not completely break. The sneer remained and even widened into a terrible smirk, and underneath it was pain, and shame. It went deep, perhaps all the way back to his childhood, and possibly fed by Queen Yovela's own humiliation. She felt inexcusably foolish that it had never occurred to her that a Queen could have such a very ordinary frailty. For a moment she wondered who the man had been, then thrust it away to help the man before her _now._

"Why would that reflect on you?" she asked in that same soothing voice. She wanted to melt the ice from his eyes and bring back that warm, smiling man from mere minutes before.

"She was married and took another lover," Absalom said, almost insultingly slowly, as to a very young child, but Setsuna brushed it away as the defense it was. "I am not the son of the King, whom she had been married to some years earlier. I am a bastard. Where exactly does your confusion lie?"

"_She_ made this mistake," Setsuna threw back at him. "Not you. It has nothing to do with you."

"I don't know what marriage is like on Earth, but believe me, here it is the most sacred of vows. When a girl becomes a Senshi she is _wedded_ to her planet. To be a bastard is to carry the sin of the mother forever."

"Well, then, the people of Geshur are stupid," she said simply. This surprised a blink out of him and caused the smirk to fade slightly. "I stand by my original assessment. You are good, you are kind, and you are stronger than you think. Even with Yovela's blood, carrying a Crystal not your own must be hellish. Geshur did not reject you, so why should its people?"

He softened just a little more and she allowed a tiny flicker of relief.

"People are not as forgiving as planets, I guess," he said in a voice much closer to the one she was used to.

"Has it occurred to you there is nothing to forgive?" Setsuna asked. "How old was your mother when she became Queen?"

"Um," he muttered, closing his eyes to think, "about…nineteen, maybe?"

_They go through Queens fast around here,_ she mused, curious about the loss of another Queen with a daughter so young.

Instead of going into that, she nodded thoughtfully. "How soon after that did she marry Sivan?"

"Very soon," Absalom admitted. "The Council believed, as young as she was, that she needed an older spouse to help her."

"So she did not love him," Setsuna stated. It was not even a guess. "And the Council picked him and told her to wed this man she did not love. Then she fell in love with another man. This seems far more the fault of the Council than your mother."

She did not add that she had no doubt Sivan had jumped at the chance. His empty eyes still haunted her, only brightening when he spoke of himself as King, and flaring with anger at Galaxia when she refuted this claim. It was no wonder, then, that Absalom kept Tamar in this wing of the Tower, far from her father's influence.

His shoulders suddenly slumped, and Absalom finally looked his age, just twenty-two and so very tired. He shook his head and sank back down into his chair, then dropped his head into his hands, his elbows braced against his knees. Slowly, he took several deep breaths.

"I'm sorry," he whispered through his fingers. "You did not deserve that, Setsuna, and I am sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for," she told him as she gently touched his shoulder. "I wish I had not spoken where I had no business, but in a way, I'm glad. Our weakness, our anger, is what the Abyss feeds on. You have to face it, or it will make you face it when you are not ready."

He looked up, all animosity gone and replaced by curiosity. "What did you have to face, Setsuna?"

"My envy," she told him honestly. "And my loneliness."

"Loneliness," he repeated slowly. "You don't seem lonely to me."

She paused, surprised at this assessment. Now that she thought about it, it had been some time since she had felt the heart wrenching pain that coursed through her whenever she watched the easy ways between the other Senshi. The memories of those feelings were there, but the sharp regret had receded since the day they had summoned the goddess. It seemed strange, so far from home, that she felt like she…belonged. Traveling, seeing the rest of the Senshi, so different and so similar, but never alone.

Galaxia's dazzling eyes suddenly came to her, brimming with laughter and warmth, and something terribly like guilt hit her hard. It had felt good, yes, when Absalom had wrapped her in his arms, yet now she wondered if it would have wounded her partner to walk in on that. They had grown so close in such a short time, almost like they had known each other much longer, perhaps even forever, and the thought of Galaxia drawing away from her frightened her far more than the loss of Absalom's arms.

"Are you alright?" Absalom asked softly. When she looked his way again she saw something like defeat in his face, and more guilt came.

"Of course," she assured him quickly. "Come on. The food's probably cold but we might as well eat it. I think I'll explain why the food from Cyllene seemed strange _after_ we eat, though."

He smiled at her again and reached for his fork. Halfway there he froze, his eyes widening in sudden alarm as his hand flew to his chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her hand still on the back of her chair.

"I don't know," Absalom gasped. "It's burning!"

"What's…?"

She did not need to finish the question as the green light began to flash from beneath his fingers. He jerked his hand away, seized the chain around his neck, and ripped it off to throw the Geshur Crystal on the table. Immediately it began to tremble, then shake so hard the table shook with it, all the while glowing brighter and brighter. Setsuna gave a shout of alarm and jumped back as it spun wildly, the gold chain whipping out behind it. Then, with one blinding flash, it disappeared, leaving the chain to fall to the table with a heavy thud.

They stood staring at the table for one silent moment, then looked to each other.

"What in all burning Creation was that?" he whispered. "And where the hell did it go?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I've never seen a Crystal act like that. Unless…sweet Saturn's bloody rings, Tamar!"

That was all that was needed to throw Absalom straight at the door. Setsuna followed hard on his heels as he raced through the corridors. They both slid to a stop when they heard the screams, coming from the other direction, back the way they had come.

"Our rooms," Setsuna breathed. "What would she be doing at our rooms?"

He did not stop to answer her, nor did she expect him to. Instead they flew back, took a different corner, and found Tamar staggering backwards through a doorway. Even from that distance they could see the blood staining the white lace of her dress and spattered on her face. She screamed again and Setsuna heard more feet running their way, no doubt the Senshi coming to her aid. Absalom reached her first and pulled her around so that she stared up at him blankly with big dark eyes.

"Tamar!" he shouted, giving her a little shake. "Tamar, what happened? Who did this?"

Gasping for breath, it took Tamar several tries before she could push out one word.

"Galaxia!"

_A/N again: Because if I didn't end it like that, I feel like I would just be disappointing you._


	55. Chapter 55

_Disclaimer: I think you've figured it out by now._

_Fun Fact: Apparently, Galaxia's Sailor Crystal is called the Saffer Crystal. That will be important._

_A/N: There is actually a slight territory war going on in the den right now, not over the computer but the one chair in here. That's why the long pause…that and I didn't really get rolling on this chapter until yesterday and then it was an all-out flood. So anyway, mucho thanks to Bin82501 (this should be less of a shock to the system, I hope), Lalaith Yamainu (trouble always follows, but I like to try and make it trouble you did not see coming), My-Crazy-Awesome-Sox (I'm trying to get back into drawing so there may, someday, be pictures, but none now, and cliffhangers are kind of what I live for), LoveInTheBattleField (sorry! just turned 30, had a rough time with that, but I am writing again and I will try to do better), Agata (the next chapter will be NOW! hehe), Astrakelly (why so surprised I would cruelly give you a cliffie? should have been up last night but apparently I need to sleep and work and stuff, so sorry for the delay), kawaiishiella (so glad you love it and, again, so sorry it's taken so long), Fiery Dancer (no, don't give up! see, here's a cookie!), and Alexis Winn (NO LIVE ACTION! then it just gets very confused, and we are closing in on the finale, and Minau and Usagi are up next) Aw, heck, you're all awesome!_

It had taken a good deal of resolve for Galaxia to walk away from dinner with Setsuna and Absalom. She was not very hungry, having, unlike her partner, dared to try the food on Cyllene, but though he did not attract _her_ she was shrewd enough to realize that Setsuna enjoyed Absalom's company more than many others. The smile in her garnet eyes as they turned to the Prince caused Galaxia's stomach to clench painfully. She knew Setsuna kept a special smile for her as well, she just did not know which smile meant more.

And if it turned out that the smile for Absalom went deeper…

_Whatever she wants, she will have. I'll make sure of it._

Galaxia sighed wearily and dropped her helmet onto a table as she contemplated ordering food. It seemed like a great deal of bother and she had grown so used to sharing her meals with Setsuna that eating alone felt almost…desolate. Strange, considering how long each of them had lived such solitary lives. Perhaps that was the draw between them, nothing more than a shared loneliness.

_I'm only lonely when she is gone._

She shook her head to rid her of these dark thoughts, unbinding her brilliant hair. There was one other reason she had retreated so readily to her room, a promise she had made to the one person as lonely as she and Setsuna. She could never break such a promise to such a desperate little heart.

As if on cue her door opened just a crack, and two dark eyes peered in at her with a timidity that Tamar had never shown before.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," Galaxia said with some surprise. "You didn't ask last time."

Tamar shrugged as she inched through the door. "Last time we weren't friends. You can't burst in on a friend. You have to respect their space, Absalom says. I brought you something."

Galaxia raised her eyebrows as she sat down on the edge of the bed, adding a little smile in an attempt to put the child more at her ease. "Something for me? What is it?"

"It's a _lynka,_" Tamar told her as she held out her hand. Something dark and slightly mangled, as though she had been carrying it for some time, lay in her palm. "It's my favorite dessert. The people in the Tower don't like you so I thought maybe they don't give you dessert."

"Tamar," Galaxia murmured, "I would love to have a _lynka._ Thank you."

The smile that blossomed on Tamar's face stunned her, full of a sweet delight that changed her from a haughty Princess to an engaging little girl. She immediately hurried across the room to put the strange food into the older woman's hand, then watched anxiously for her reaction. Galaxia took a glance at the _lynca_, which looked somewhat like an overcooked pastry, and tried an experimental bite. Only her concern for Tamar's feelings kept her from spitting out the bitter concoction that slowly oozed across her tongue. She swallowed it with good grace and managed a little smile that she hoped conveyed gratitude and appreciation without betraying her disgust.

Apparently, she failed.

"You don't like it," Tamar guessed, one eyebrow cocked up in disbelief.

"No, no, it's delicious, really!"

To Galaxia's surprise Tamar began to giggle a little. "It's alright. Absalom says that only people born on Geshur like them. He thinks it has something to do with gravity or how close we are to the sun, but I think it's just because other people are weird. Since you aren't from here I didn't know what you would think." Anxiety crept into her eyes as she studied Galaxia's face. "It really is my favorite. I brought it because I think it's the best of all."

"Then by all means, finish it for me," Galaxia laughed as she handed it back. "Come on up here next to me. We can talk better, don't you think?"

The glow in Tamar's eyes at the invitation sent a jab of fury through Galaxia, aimed at the four Sailor Soldiers of this system and even their Prince. _They_ should be the ones laughing over this disgusting dessert and giving her a hand so that she could climb onto the bed without dropping her treat. She thought of the Starlights and Kakyuu, how they fought and teased one another, and the easy camaraderie of Setsuna's sister Senshi, and could not imagine any of them cutting their Princess from their lives. Should not the Senshi of the Geshur system be teaching her to fight and rule and stay clear of boys?

"Where were you?" Tamar asked around a mouthful of _lynka,_ calling Galaxia back to the present. Dark crumbs fell down into her quilt but she ignored them to settle more comfortably, leaning back on her elbows so that she could still see the child's face.

"We went and met more Senshi," she explained. "A different system this time, a place called Cyllene. They are going to send their Queen Maia to Earth to be with Setsuna's family, along with one of her guardians. The others will stay on Cyllene in case there is an attack so they can protect the people. That's a hard choice for a Queen, you see. Her duty is to protect her system and all the people there so you would think she couldn't leave. But _this time_ the enemy isn't after just one system. That's why so many Senshi are going to Earth, to Setsuna's home, like Miri did."

Something flashed through Tamar's eyes at the name, something harsh and cold that startled Galaxia. Then she remembered the tiny glances between Sailor Lejah and Absalom, the way Absalom waited for her opinion before making any choice. There was an understanding there deeper than even his relationship with the other three. A child, she guessed, especially such a lonely one, could see this as a threat. So Galaxia ignored the look for a moment and reached over casually to chase some of the crumbs off Tamar's skirt. The look faded quickly enough and she saw the change in Tamar's eyes as she considered the rest of what she had been told.

"Do lots of Sailor Senshi go to Earth?" she asked.

Galaxia tried to shove away the memory of the last time two systems worth of Senshi had come together on Earth as she said, "It's only happened once before, that I know of. There's a lot of space between stars with planets, and not all those planets have Sailor Senshi. It's hard to get from one to another and it risks putting their kingdoms in danger. It's just not…practical."

"But it used to happen," Tamar argued vehemently. "Tsifira and Talmai had another Queen come here, and then Talmai fell in love with her and married her and he went back to her system with her."

"He did?" Galaxia muttered. The story was not familiar, and as she was the oldest living Senshi this surprised her. Perhaps it was merely a Geshur bedtime story but curiosity won out and she probed for more. "Who…who exactly was Talmai? I had thought he was Tsifira's husband, maybe."  
Shocked horror flashed across Tamar's face. "Ew! No! He was Tsifira's twin brother!"

"Oh! Makes a bit more sense."

Galaxia sat up again to pull one leg onto the bed and began to unbuckle her boots. She could not place the name Tsifira, but Geshur had not been much of a concern for her until Chaos sent her on a quest to destroy every kingdom in the galaxy. Probably Tsifira had been one of the Queens not long after the Sailor Wars, someone she never would have known, though it seemed strange that there would be movement between the systems _after_ the Wars. It was then that the systems had truly closed their gates against each other, sometimes metaphorically and sometimes, like the Silver Millennium, literally. The other boot joined the first on the floor and Galaxia settled back again to muse over how different Geshur was from so many other systems.

"Are you mad?" Tamar asked suddenly, regaining Galaxia's attention.

"What? No! Why would I be mad?"

"Lirita doesn't like it when I don't think her answer is right."

Galaxia had begun to truly dislike the tutor and her questionable priorities. "Well, I'm not Lirita and I'm pretty sure you know a lot more about Geshur than I do."

That strikingly sweet smile returned and Tamar leaned back on her elbows just as the older woman did. A flash of mischief made Galaxia casually cross her legs at the knee. A second later the Princess did the same, her little white shoes barely dangling over the edge of the bed. Galaxia rolled her shoulders to stretch them and let her head to hang back while keeping a watch on Tamar from the corner of one eye and grinned when her movements were mirrored. Those dark eyes flicked over and met Galaxia's, attempting to look mature and unconscious of her behavior, but the look only made Galaxia begin to laugh. Tamar's face hardened and closed down to hide any form of hurt until a hand fell on her shoulder with an affectionate squeeze, and the mask dissolved as she, too, began to giggle.

When the laughter had subsided Tamar slid a little closer and looked up hopefully. "Tell me more about Cyllene. What were the Senshi like? Did they…did they like their Queen?"

"They were all very close," Galaxia admitted slowly, "but they were all almost the same age. You know, there are some of the Senshi from Setsuna's team that are older than their Princess, and they sometimes treat her like a little girl, too."

Tamar frowned thoughtfully over this, then cocked her head and leveled Galaxia with a suspicious look. "But do they like her?"

There was, she realized, no way around that. "They like her very much."

Another long silence followed this as Tamar stared blankly ahead. Her face gave nothing away and Galaxia wondered achingly how such a small child could already have learned that trick. Then she looked up at the Senshi with eyes far too wise for her age and asked her a simple question.

"Is something bad going to happen to me?"

"Where in the cosmos did you hear?" Galaxia demanded, an image of her own hands wrapping around Lirita's throat flashing through her mind. If that idiotic tutor had said something about the Abyss to this child…

"I'm not stupid," Tamar huffed, rolling her eyes. "Everyone's always fighting on the Council, because Papa's friends say that someone else is Absalom's Papa-"

Galaxia blinked. How many secrets were there on this planet, and why could_ no one _seem to hide them from a six-year-old child?

"-and some people say that doesn't matter because my Mama was still his Mama, and a whole bunch of people say that I shouldn't get the Crystal at all because my Mama was a…a _whoor,_ I think they said."

Galaxia's eyebrows shot straight up but she did not feel the need to correct Tamar's vocabulary error.

"That made all the Senshi and _their_ mothers yell _a lot,_ so I guess it wasn't nice. Then everyone started shouting at each other and people were yelling at Absalom to take the Crystal off, and someone said something about the Senshi, that they should be…_disbanded._ What does that mean?"

"Um…" Galaxia floundered. "Sweetheart, how do you know all this?"

"There's a room behind where Absalom sits and you can see _everything_ from there," Tamar answered cheerily. "I sometimes go there to watch, and I knew Lirita wouldn't know because she gave me reading to do on my own, which means she's going to spy on the meeting from her own place."

"You _know_ that Lirita spies on Council meetings, but you haven't told Absalom," Galaxia said, attempting to clarify the situation. When Tamar nodded she closed her eyes and sighed. "_Why?_"

"Because if she can't spy anymore, then neither can I."

Galaxia had absolutely no way to argue that logic and just shook her head as the rest of the information did cartwheels around her brain. Senshi disbanded. She tried to grasp the idea but it slipped and slid through her shaking fingers. Earth was strange enough, its Senshi hiding their identities and serving from the shadows. But this…a solar system with Crystals unclaimed, or worse, doled out at the whim of mortals. And who would be in charge of such a system? Sivan's pale eyes flashed through her mind, cold and calculating, and send a needle of pure terror through her heart. The planets would not be treated as trinkets doled out to his favorites, but even Galaxia could not imagine what chaos would result from the attempt.

"Tamar," Galaxia said slowly, "even if the Council is fighting, why do you think something is going to happen to you?"

"They don't like Absalom so they want to get rid of him," Tamar reminded her. "They don't like the Senshi so they want to get rid of them. They didn't like my Mama so they got rid of her. Csilla thinks someone poisoned her, because there is no other way to take a Crystal from a Queen than for her to die. If they want the Geshur Crystal they'll poison me, too, and Absalom won't be here because they'll make him leave the Tower, and you won't be here because you'll be gone with Sailor Pluto, and the Senshi don't like me so they won't try to protect me."

For a moment Galaxia added Sailor Trachonitis to her list of women on Geshur who needed to be throttled before she remembered that Tamar had probably been spying when she heard the poison theory. The possibility that the Queen had been assassinated added another level of fear to the whole mess, though. Geshur had always been teetering on the edge of unrest, it had made it easy for her to walk through and destroy them before, yet she had never realized how out of control things had become.

But Tamar knew. She knew the angles that were being played, and the factions pulling her from all sides, and though those around her called her a Princess, she was merely a pawn. Everything could be taken from her, by politicians or Senshi or her own father, and as far as she knew, the only people on her side were her brother and a woman who was almost a stranger.

"Can't I go with you?" Tamar said suddenly, in a little voice as fragile as glass. "I could go with you and Sailor Pluto and meet the other Queens and Princesses and Senshi, and I could make friends, and you wouldn't let anyone hurt me. Right?"

For a second Galaxia almost said yes. Never had she wanted so much to break every rule. She could so easily whisk this little girl away from danger, and Setsuna was wonderful with children, she would know how to make Tamar happy, and it would all be alright. Let the Council destroy itself, let the Tower crumble, let them sink into chaos if they wanted to, but she could save this one child.

_That's not enough,_ the Senshi in her whispered. _The galaxy is in peril. She is precious, but that's not enough. We need her _here._ We need her power._

Galaxia's mouth twisted in pain as she realized how true this was.

"Why don't I…I'll talk to your Senshi, and we'll think of something. I promise, sweetheart," she murmured. "Oh, Tamar, don't cry."

The tears had already begun to cascade down those round, childish cheeks, but not in a temper tantrum or in anger. Never had she seen anyone look as tragic as Tamar as she pressed her hand to her mouth to stop the sobs that so desperately wanted to escape. Her whole body shook, though, and she could not control it. Galaxia sat up beside her and stretched out her hand, but again she paused, afraid and uncertain how to offer comfort.

Then Tamar let her hand slide away and whispered, "I don't want to die."

Galaxia snatched her into a fierce hug, her fingers clenching those tiny shoulders so tightly she might leave bruises. Tamar did not protest, just threw her arms around the older woman's neck.

"You are not going to die," Galaxia growled against her ear. "Do you hear me? Absalom and your Senshi won't allow it. _I_ won't allow it. Do you understand?"

She felt Tamar's head bob against her shoulder as she tried to nod.

"Good. Because I mean it."

The child relaxed into her arms and continued to cry, tears rolling down Galaxia's armor until they fell onto her bare legs. She settled Tamar properly in her lap and let her long hair fall around them both in a shimmering cocoon. A moment came back to her; she and Setsuna pleading with Anyuta for understanding and the door exploding open to an angry Princess. Now Galaxia knew what lay at the heart of her anger, the terror that had haunted this child, and as she remembered Sailor Aram and Sailor Trachonitis pressing their hands over their ears she very nearly hated them.

A tiny movement by the door brought her head around even as she hunched more protectively over the bundle in her arms. She expected Setsuna, but hoped for Absalom, or even better one of the Senshi. A rage she had never known before, completely for only one person in all of creation, had her nearly gnashing her teeth and longing for a fight. Instead she found herself confronting an unknown woman. A green and gold gown brushed the floor and hung off a tall, frighteningly thin figure with marble white skin. Black curls tumbled over her face as it moved back and forth in quick painful twitches. Galaxia could barely make out a full mouth so dark it looked bruised, and she could not see the woman's eyes. The stranger took a teetering step further into the room and turned her shoulder to them, as though she did not see them at all. A jolt went up Galaxia's spine and crackled in her head with one thought: there was danger here.

"Who are you?" she demanded through her teeth, gently easing Tamar's arms from around her neck as she pulled her legs under her. Senshi reflexes should give her an advantage to stay between the stranger and the Princess but instinct warned her she would need every second possible, and she did not question her instinct.

Finally that hidden face turned towards them and the dark lips turned up in a smile.

"Ah," the woman whispered, her voice the thin hiss of dry leaves against each other. "How interesting. A Crystal Holder."

Galaxia blinked uncertainly. The term was strange, both alien and familiar at the same time, like a line from a long forgotten book. It echoed with importance and power and something else, something like a salute. Recognition, maybe, or respect, and yet dripping with menace.

"I did not ask who I was," she shot back. "I want to know who you are, and what the hell you are doing in my room."

By now she had maneuvered her body in front of Tamar's, but she could feel small fingers biting into her sides and a second heart hammering against her own ribs as the child watched over her shoulder. Galaxia was poised to lunge until Tamar's gasp shattered her concentration.

"Mama?"

The stranger's fragile neck tipped back and her hair fell away to reveal her face.

Those black curls…a broad catlike nose…a gown in the royal color of Geshur…Tamar's whispered secret last time…

_"Mama is not really dead."_

"How?" Galaxia demanded. "How are you not dead? Your Crystal has been passed one, you _should_ be dead, you should…Blessed Cosmos."

"What?" Tamar whimpered. "What is it?"

"Her eyes."

Eyes she knew better than her own, eyes she loved so much it hurt sometimes…

Eyes the rich red of garnets.

"That's…_not_ my Mama, is it?"

"Poor child," the creature murmured through Queen Yovela's mouth, and Galaxia realized her lips were the dark color of a corpse's. "She was fierce, your mother. She fought us to the end, until we seized up her lungs and stilled her heart. Why, she even took a knife to herself to try and cut us out. Brave woman. Are you as brave, little one?"

"Tamar," Galaxia whispered, "get ready to run."

"Run where?" Yovela asked politely. "Don't you see? We are everywhere. Slices and slivers of us, working our way beneath the skin before you even know we are there."

"_What_ are you?" Galaxia demanded. "What did you do to the Queen?"

Red eyes raked over her face with a sickening hunger as the monstrosity moved closer, her limbs jerking like a dancing puppet. "The Queen taught us a valuable lesson. We can have the body of a Crystal Holder, but not the Crystal. I think I will leave you your skin. I have a form that will work well enough. So…I'll just peel your flesh off until I can rip your Crystal out of your heart."

A dangerous grin slid onto Galaxia's mouth. "Oh, my dear, you picked the wrong Senshi to try that on."

Yovela lunged with a speed that seemed impossible in her half-dead body. Instead of dodging Galaxia raised an arm to take the brunt of the strike while her other reached behind her to thrust Tamar aside. She heard the child cry out in terror once and then her enemy was upon her, and she had not time for any thought but survival.

Her arms moved fast, faster than even Galaxia's, and her nails dug deep. The golden armor, a manifestation of Sailor powers, held true against the fingers scrabbling for her chest, but Galaxia felt the bare flesh of her arms and face curling open under the slashing claws. She locked the pain away through long experience and struck out fast, her fist slamming into Yovela's chin and snapping her head back. There was not even a flicker of pain on the Queen's stolen face and the assault barely slowed. There was a tiny hesitation as Yovela lost balance, though, and it bought Galaxia another precious second to get both feet under the body on top of hers and push up, hard.

The other woman hit the floor tangled in the glorious green and gold gown, closer to Tamar than Galaxia had foreseen. Already the oldest Senshi was flinging herself onto the floor in a low crouch, her attention divided between Queen and Princess and her entire body trembling from adrenaline and shock. From the corner of her eye she could see how badly her arms were slashed, she could feel the blood rolling down her face, and then she pushed that away. A Senshi's body could take ten times the beating a normal mortal could. A sound of tearing silk came as Yovela's sharp fingers shredded the skirt and flung it out of her way.

Galaxia did not wait for the next attack. She moved fast and low, spitting out blood to snarl, "SAFFER BLADE!"

Brilliant blue light flooded the room and then coalesced into metal that burned against the palm of her hand. A blade of pure power left a smoking gouge in the marble floor as Galaxia slid on one knee through her own blood and sank it deep into Yovela's torso. The blade fractured into a million darts of light and burst, throwing the struggling Queen back against a wall.

She crumpled, smoke and the disgusting scent of burnt flesh rising from her torn stomach. Before her body hit the floor Galaxia staggered to her feet and seized Tamar, her blood spattering the child's green and white dress. Though Tamar was tall for her age she weighed little, especially when Galaxia was fueled by desperation. She had the Princess in her arms and halfway through the door when a slender hand wrapped around her throat and jerked her backwards. Her back hit the floor hard and her arm, badly jolted, fell away from Tamar.

"No," Galaxia whispered as she tried to push herself up. "Tamar, run!"

Yovela was on her again, long fingers sliding under the chest plate of her armor. She watched in horrified disbelief as a tiny crack appeared at the neck. Galaxia grabbed Yovela's arms and struggled to pull them away. Sinews and tendons strained under her hands as they fought, equal in strength, but she feared this undead creation could beat her in stamina, and her blood continued to poor out. Even a Senshi needed blood.

"NO!"

Green silk and white lace appeared around Yovela's neck. It took a moment for the image to make sense, and then it sent a fresh wave of fear through Galaxia. Tamar had leapt onto Yovela's back and seized onto her throat with one tiny arm. The other wrapped over those garnet red eyes, fingers as long and delicate as Yovela's sinking into the Queen's black curls and holding on tight.

"You're not my mother!" Tamar howled. "You leave her alone!"

"No, no, Tamar, don't!" Galaxia gasped as Yovela shook her head angrily, trying to throw the child off. "Run, get away!"

"No!" Tamar shouted. "You're my friend!"

"Damnation!" Yovela snarled, yanking one arm away from Galaxia's chest. The change in direction came too fast and Galaxia could not switch her own hold. The hand came free and bent back in an angle that should have been painful to grasp Tamar by the back of the neck. Tamar came free and slid across the floor with a pained shout.

"You, brat, will go the way of your mother," the creature snarled, darkness swirling through the scarlet eyes. "A shell for another of my kind. At least it will give meaning to your pathetic, short life."

"I am not pathetic," Tamar snapped as she sat up. "If you were really my mother you would know that!"

"A sniveling little whelp," Yovela hissed, "an embarrassment to Geshur's bloodline."

"No!" Tamar pushed herself to her feet and held her hands out uncertainly before her. "I am Princess of Geshur, and you are a bad lady, and I will punish you!"

With her attention on the child, Yovela's weight shifted slightly and Galaxia threw herself to the side. The other woman fell off her only to roll easily across the floor and come up on her feet. It took twice as long for Galaxia's weakened arms to push her upright but she managed, staggering sideways until she hit the table. She heard her helmet tumble to the floor and felt Yovela's eyes on her again.

"GESHUR BURNING ICE!"

Galaxia's eyes flashed automatically towards Tamar, still standing with her hands spread in front of her as so many other Senshi did. Without a Crystal, though, the gesture and the words were empty and did nothing but draw Yovela's attention. A low laugh came from her throat and struck the child like a slap as Tamar gazed in despair at her empty hands.

"The words are not enough, child. There must be _power,_ and you have none."

"SAFFER SHURIKEN!"

Her weakest attack, but Galaxia did not want Yovela's eyes on Tamar any longer. The blue stars flashed across Yovela's face and opened long gashes that did not bleed. Instead, underneath, the bone was black and shining like glass.

"You…you monster," Galaxia breathed. "_What are you?_"

Yovela ran a finger along one cut with a slow grin. "Yes…your power…a Crystal…I must have a Crystal."

"Never," Galaxia growled.

A hand flicked, brushing her words irritably away. "You say monster, but we were gods once. We will be again. And I will be stronger than all the rest…when I have your Crystal."

The Saffer Crystal burned hot and angry inside Galaxia, eager it seemed to continue the battle with something so fundamentally _wrong._ Power flooded her body down to her fingertips, the words danced on her lips, and one syllable almost fell free. Something moved against the far wall, though, and she suddenly remembered Tamar. The child was too close, loyally and foolishly refusing to flee, though she could do no more than watch, one hand pressed to her chest and a fierce frown carved into her brow. The full brunt of the Saffer Crystal might very well crush her tiny body.

Galaxia forced the words back and offered Yovela instead a cocky smirk. "I can do it, you know."

The emaciated face twitched. "Do what?"

"Take Crystals. I took _hundreds,_ you see. So beautiful and _powerful_ and mine for the taking like shells on a beach."

"You're lying."

"Oh, no. Ask anyone on Geshur…or any other planet. I've done it, and I know the secret."

"Tell me," Yovela hissed eagerly, taking a quick step forward. "Tell me how to take Crystals and I will let you live. I will even spare the brat."

Galaxia considered her a moment, and then laughed.

"Come and get it, bitch."

The beautiful face, a frightening caricature of Tamar's, contorted in rage and madness, and a high scream of fury erupted from her mouth. Her claws were already curved and aiming for Galaxia face while the Senshi seized the table and prepared to swing it with all her might. She fell back a step to give herself more room and braced her feet, her arms tensed…

"GESHUR BURNING ICE!"

Green light streaked across the floor, curling and cracking like frost on water and leaving a trail of emerald flames. It wrapped around Yovela's legs, her arms, and then her chest, setting the remnants of her gown alight before a burst of pure light filled the room. Her body hit the ceiling with a disgusting crack and plummeted back down to the floor. Galaxia's eyes flew to Tamar, still leaning against the wall, only now the hand pressed to her chest was clenched around the Geshur Crystal flashing with light and life, and her eyes were huge and stunned.

"Good girl," Galaxia gasped with a smile. "That was amazing, sweetheart. Now—oh, _hell._"

Something black stained the floor where Yovela's body had hit and her arms waved where they should not, whatever had replace the bone was definitely broken, yet she clamored once more to her feet. The flesh along one side of her face was burnt to ash and she raised a damaged hand to swipe it away. Beneath it was the shining black glass or crystal, but instead of a skull, there was another face. A man's face, with the same high cheek bones and slender nose as Setsuna but twisted with a snarling grin until it was hideous to behold.

For the first time Tamar screamed, high and terrified, and it took all of Galaxia's will not to do the same. Those precious features defiled made her stomach roll and the fire of the Saffer Crystal double, pressing against her ribs and begging to be released. With one hand she gestured yet again for Tamar to flee and this time the child gave way, staggering backwards out of the room. Vaguely she heard voices, Absalom shouting for his sister, but she kept her eyes on her enemy and finally gave into the demands of her Crystal.

"Galaxia!" Tamar cried out in the corridor.

"That bitch—!"

"Absalom, wait!"

Setsuna's voice brought the blackened face around and caused a brilliant light in the red eyes across from her, but the words were already tumbling from Galaxia's mouth on a flood of power.

"SAFFER GALACTIC HEART!"

Blue and gold and white light swirled like mist and crackled like lightning and sang a strange, low tone more felt than heard. It spun around the tips of her fingers like a tiny galaxy, and then it shot out, sharp and hot as a nuclear blade, slicing straight through the creature in the middle of her chest. The two halves fell apart and something between a scream and a roar flung Galaxia backwards. She hit the wall behind the table and dropped with little more than a groan, the last of her strength having been fueled into that attack. Even as her head swam and blood flooded one eye she kept the other on the body and waited.

Then a hand was on her shoulder and another was swiping blood away and she caught a very different pair of red eyes staring down at her in horror.

"Galaxia, oh blessed Chronos, what's happened to you? Please, please, stay with me."

"Setsuna," she breathed. "Be careful. It's behind you…"

The other Senshi looked quickly over her shoulder at the ruined figure of Geshur's Queen, but it did not move and she turned back, her fingers soft on Galaxia's cheek.

"It's over. It's all over now. Absalom, please, get help, why are you just _standing there?!_"

"Is that…Sweet Sheiramoth, that's my—"

"No, she's not!" Tamar shouted somewhere far away. Everything was beginning to seem very far away. "She's a bad lady, or not a lady at all, but help Galaxia!"

"Setsuna, you're safe," Galaxia breathed, sliding one hand up her partner's arm. "When I saw those eyes…but you're safe."

"Of course, and _damn it,_ Absalom, move!"

"Here, let me see!" a sharp voice said, and then a flash of bronze satin and green eyes and Sailor Aram was beside her. "Oh, wow, that's not good."

"Sippora!" someone shouted.

"Well, it's not!" she yelled back. "Csilla, what are you doing?"

"The dress…it has to be, but it can't be! _Her face!_"

"Who cares?" Anyuta snapped from the doorway. "Get the Princess out of here now! Absalom, I'll stay with Sippora and Pluto, you go with…where's the Crystal?"

"It disappeared," Setsuna said, her voice nearly overlapping Tamar's cry of, "I have it!"

"How…just go! Out!"

"LOOK!"

Galaxia could not tell whose voice that was, but under Setsuna's elbow she saw fingers twitching against the marble floor. Several pairs of feet scrambled back as one of Yovela's arms twisted free of the ruined gown and began to crawl forward, pulled by blood-encrusted nails. For the first time Galaxia saw all the flesh of that one arm, and sunk deep into the crook of her elbow was a black wound, dark streaks tracing the veins around it and poisoning the young Queen. Csilla had been right, after all.

The creature that had taken over Yovela needed nothing more than that wound, and whatever lay beneath it.

"Stop it," Galaxia gasped as she tried to push herself upright. "_Kill it!"_

She saw small white and purple boots start forward (_Anyuta)_, and then heard a ripping sound. Every muscle in the room froze as they watched the very air split open like overripe fruit to show living darkness, roiling and squirming against the deepest black in the universe. Galaxia groped inside for her Saffer Crystal, saw Setsuna's hand dart towards her staff, but the twisted hand skittered forward and into the rip and disappeared with only a little sigh of sound.

The silence that followed was heavy and thick and Galaxia was afraid to move until, finally, she realized there would be no more attacks.

_For now…_

Anyuta's voice cracked over them again, bringing the others back to life even as Galaxia slumped exhaustedly to the floor.

"Csilla. The Princess. NOW!"

Burgundy pants fluttered past, Tamar cried out, and for a moment she tried to rise and go again to her aid. But Setsuna was stroking her hair and promising her everything was fine, and she knew Setsuna would never lie to her, so she let her head fall across her partner's knees, her hand coming up to grip one calf, and her eyes closed.


End file.
